Research Integrity and Ethics

  1. Compliance & Safety
  2. Research Integrity and Ethics
  3. Research Integrity and Ethics

Promoting Research with Integrity

Supporting Ethical Research and Scholarly Activities

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is committed to the values expressed in its General Principles on the Ethical Conduct of Research and Scholarship to guide the research and scholarly activities of its students, staff, and faculty. As described in the Policy on Integrity in Research and Scholarly Activities, integrity means the conduct of research and scholarly activities in an honest and professional manner.

Click here for details on how the University defines Integrity in Research and Scholarly Activities
  • Employing appropriate methods, statistical approaches, and any other analytical techniques for the research or scholarly question.
  • Basing the conclusions on critical objective analysis of data.
  • Managing conflicts of commitment and interest.
  • Designing research to be replicable, when possible.
  • Promoting open access and sharing data as specified in system, sponsor, and publisher policies, or standard practices in the field.
  • Promoting intellectual and professional growth of mentees and adherence to the mutual responsibilities of mentors and trainees.
  • Protecting research subjects.
  • Managing the appropriate use of research materials.
  • Maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for research and scholarly activities.
  • Conducting peer review in an unbiased, transparent, and confidential manner.
  • Reporting accurate and honest credentials and related information.
  • Attributing authorship based on appropriate authorship criteria.
  • Attributing credit for work and ideas through proper acknowledgement and citation.
  • Respecting the ethical obligations regarding the societal impacts of research.
  • Ensuring appropriate use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
  • Complying with research or scholarly activities regulation and guidelines.

Addressing Concerns of Misconduct

The University defines Misconduct involving Research and Scholarly Activities in its Policy and the process for addressing related allegations are described in the Procedures for Adjudicating Complaints of Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activities. Concerns and Allegations may be directed to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO), the Unit Executive Officer, or the University Ethics and Compliance Office. Some integrity concerns fall outside the University’s definition of Research Misconduct in the University’s Policy, including disagreements of authorship and attribution. Such concerns can and should be handled at the organizational level closest to the individuals involved. The RIO can provide guidance regarding the appropriate means to address concerns of integrity.

View the University's policy and procedures for addressing misconduct in research and scholarly activities by clicking the link below. Please direct any questions or concerns to the University’s Research Integrity Officer, Dr. Christopher Lehmann.

Policy and Procedures - Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activities

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Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

Principal investigators (PIs) of certain federal grants must ensure that research personnel who are paid from those funds receive education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and that this RCR training is tracked. See the site below which lists agency requirements and provides an overview of our University's RCR Education Program to support our Institutional RCR Plan. 

View our Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research Education Program

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