UKRIO was created to provide independent, expert and confidential advice to anyone with concerns about the conduct of research, whether promoting good practice in research or addressing alleged poor practice and misconduct.
We help research organisations, researchers and members of the public. UKRIO welcomes enquiries on general issues relating to research integrity as well as those seeking assistance with specific cases.
Since its creation in 2006, UKRIO has amassed considerable experience in helping employers, researchers and the public with issues of research conduct across all subject areas. No other organisation in the UK has comparable expertise in providing such support and we welcome enquiries from all disciplines of research.
In both 2010 and 2011 we helped with more than one case a week and use of our services continues to grow each year. To seek advice on good research practice or to raise concerns about possible misconduct, contact us on:
01273 234 697 or helpline@ukrio.org
Staff at UKRIO may be able to provide guidance directly. Alternatively, callers may be referred to an expert from our Register of Advisers or to an appropriate external regulatory body or other organisation. All calls and emails are confidential and calls will not be recorded. Only those details agreed will be passed to an Adviser. No other parties will be informed, unless clear evidence of criminal activity has been presented.
Advice on fraud and misconduct in research
Misconduct in research takes many forms. It can be serious and threaten lives; it can appear trivial but still greatly harm research. Contact UKRIO for expert advice if you have concerns about:
- Fabrication of research data, processes or results.
- Falsification: the manipulation of research data, processes and results; also the omission of critical data or results.
- Misrepresentation of research data or of a researcher’s interests or involvement.
- Plagiarism: the unauthorised use of or representation of another person’s material as one’s own original work.
- Research that may be causing unreasonable risk or harm: to humans, animals used in research or the environment.
Advice on good practice in research
UKRIO also provides guidance on all issues of good practice in research, including:
- Promoting good practice in research
- Education and training in good research practice
- Issues of good practice and ethics relating to specific research projects
- Creating or revising institutional systems to ensure good practice in research and address misconduct
- Disputes over authorship of research articles
- Other issues of publication ethics.
Expert involvement in investigations
Institutions seeking external participants to help investigate allegations of misconduct in research, as recommended by our Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research, can contact us to request the involvement of members of UKRIO’s Register of Advisers . Our Advisers bring an external, skilled and experienced perspective to investigations and can help reassure all involved that the process will be thorough and fair.
Like all of UKRIO’s services, this is provided in complete confidence. Our Advisors make no reports to UKRIO concerning an investigation or its outcome as we recognise that to break confidentiality would damage the integrity of the investigation.