This toolkit is provided to assist you in finding the information you need about scientific misconduct and publishing ethics. If you need assistance, contact the Sladen Information Desk.
Click on the tabs along the top of the page to see the Scientific Misconduct & Publishing Ethics resources in each category.
Retraction Watch is a blog that reports on the retraction of scientific papers, primarily in the life sciences. The purpose of the blog is not merely to report papers that have been retracted but also to find out why the paper was retracted, which is not always clear from the retraction notice that appears with the paper.
The U.S. Office of Research Integrity defines research misconduct as:
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
(a) Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
(b) Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
(c) Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
(d) Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.
Source: U.S. Office of Research Integrity. Definition of research misconduct. 2011. Available at: http://ori.dhhs.gov/definition-misconduct.
There are several organizations, councils, and committees interested in maintaining the ethical conduction of scientific research.
This tutorial from from the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) allows users to select one of four characters and work through scenarios to avoid research misconduct and protect study participants.