Scientific misconduct and fraud

The College is totally committed to complete integrity and honesty in the conduct of all work undertaken by members of, or on behalf of, the College, whilst also being committed to protecting its staff from malicious accusations. The College has no separate procedure for investigating allegations of scientific misconduct. The following provisions and procedures will apply:

Procedures; Definition; Good practice

Procedures

Misconduct and Grievance Procedures (for academic staff, Clerk and Librarian )

Charter & Statutes number 51 Parts I and III (misconduct) and VI (grievance). These provide for the investigation of serious disciplinary matters to be heard by a Tribunal. Such complaints should be made to the Clerk of Governors.

Disciplinary and Dismissal, and Grievance Procedures (for academic-related, otherrelated, clerical, manual, technical and craft staff )

Staff handbook 1998 - section 7 (disciplinary and dismissal); section 11 (grievance). These deal with disciplinary actions covering both minor and gross misconduct (including falsification of records). Actions in accordance with the procedures is taken by the College Secretary and Clerk to the Governors in consultation with the Director of Human Resources and may include a disciplinary panel.

Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblowing): College Policy (all members of the College)

This applies to all members of the College (staff, students and governors) and covers malpractice and impropriety, including academic malpractice and unethical behaviour. The allegation should normally first be raised with the College Secretary and Clerk to the Governors. Depending on the nature of the allegation an internal investigation or reference to the police might be appropriate. Currently available on the College web site (Human Resources) or in hard copy from Human Resources, and to be incorporated in future editions of the staff handbooks.

In all cases, staff are invited to take the advice of the Director of Human Resources, on a confidential basis, if they have concerns.

Definition

Misconduct in academic research is taken to include, but is not limited to:

• piracy - the deliberate exploitation of ideas from others without acknowledgment

• plagiarism - the copying of ideas, data or text without permission or acknowledgment

• misrepresentation - the deliberate attempt to represent falsely or unfairly the ideas or work of others, whether or not for personal gain or enhancement

• fraud - deliberate deception, including invention of data, and the omission from analysis and publication of inconvenient data.

Good practice

In order to avoid such incidents as far as possible, good scientific practice should always be followed and attention is drawn to the good practice and ethical guidelines produced by many Research Councils and professional and academic associations. Information about these can be sought from your Assistant Dean, Executive Dean, or the Research Grants & Contracts Office.