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Disciplines: All

This month, ORP is highlighting SIUE’s Academic and Research Misconduct Policy 1Q5, as well as resources available to help promote a culture of research integrity at all levels within the academic community. This week, our focus is on how to submit an academic or research misconduct allegation and what happens after an allegation is made.

 Making an Allegation

 SIUE’s policy notes that all institutional members are required to report observed, suspected, or apparent research and academic misconduct to the RIO. Under the policy, an allegation is defined as a disclosure of possible academic or research misconduct through any means of communication, written or oral, to an institutional official.

 There are 4 main ways to submit an allegation:

1. submit the Allegation Intake Form electronically via the Research Misconduct Allegation Intake Form in Kuali Build;
2. submit the pdf Allegation Intake Form found on the Compliance forms webpage to the RIO. The RIO or, Research Integrity Officer, is the SIUE official responsible for “assessing allegations of academic and research misconduct (…).” The RIO for SIUE is the Associate Provost for Research.
3. send the information requested on the Allegation Intake Form in writing or verbally to the Associate Provost for Research; or
4. contact the SIU Ethics Office.

 A person who in good faith makes an allegation of academic or research misconduct is the Complainant. When making an allegation via the Allegation Intake Form (either electronically via Kuali Build or the pdf version) a Complainant can choose whether or not to provide contact information at the allegation stage. At any time, an institutional member may have confidential discussions and consultations about concerns of possible misconduct with the RIO.

 Once an Allegation is Made

 After an allegation is made, SIUE’s Policy and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research and Academic Misconduct - 1Q5 dictate next steps in the process.

 First, upon receiving an allegation of research or academic misconduct, the RIO will immediately assess the allegation. During the RIO’s assessment, the objective is to determine whether the allegation “is sufficiently credible and specific so that potential evidence of research or academic misconduct may be identified.” There are two parts to the standard – (1) is the allegation credible and (2) is it so specific that research misconduct can be identified.

 While the RIO does not need to, they can gather information or evidence outside of what data or evidence was submitted with an allegation if necessary to determine whether the allegation meets both parts of the relevant standard. This could include interviews or gathering other data.

The assessment period of an allegation is usually brief. If the RIO determines that the allegation is both credible and specific so that research misconduct can be identified, the RIO will immediately initiate the next step, which is the inquiry process.

 Resources available

 Information on how to submit a Research Misconduct Allegation Intake form can be found on ORP’s research integrity webpage. On the page, there are links to the electronic and pdf versions of the form, as well as contact information for the Associate Provost for Research and the SIU Ethics Office.

 While brief definitions of relevant terms are provided in this article, more definitions and explanation can be found in SIUE’s Research and Academic Misconduct Policy (1Q5)

 Next week will focus on the research misconduct process from the inquiry phase on.