Policies and Procedures on Ethical Practices in Research

The School hereby affirms its commitment to the highest ethical standards in the conduct of scientific research, the promotion of original research of high quality, and the importance of academic freedom. It also acknowledges that unethical conduct in research is extremely serious and threatens these principles. The School is, therefore, committed to preventing unethical conduct in research from occurring and, should it occur, to dealing with it swiftly, fairly, and thoroughly. Procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in research are described in detail in the Faculty Handbook (Chapter VI).

Allegations of misconduct in research must be reported to the Institution’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO) who will have primary responsibility for implementation of the institution’s policies and procedures on unethical practices in research. The RIO has general responsibility for overseeing the investigation of all allegations of unethical conduct in research and shall be available to:

• Consult confidentially with persons uncertain about whether to submit an allegation of unethical research practices, and if the allegations do not involve unethical practices in research, refer the individual to other offices with responsibility for resolving the issue.

• Receive allegations of suspected unethical research practices and work with the Research Integrity Committee to determine and pursue the appropriate method for investigating and resolving these allegations.