Stories about fraud in science are increasingly in the public eye. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools, which can uncover potential errors in research at unprecedented speed, the number of research misconduct claims has increased worldwide.
Despite how things might look, the vast majority of research remains intellectually sound. Rigorous and responsible research is essential to addressing the toughest problems we’re facing today—and is the core of the University of Utah’s research mission. In this article, Erin Rothwell, PhD, Vice President for Research at the U, addresses common questions about research integrity at the university.
Research integrity means that our scientists do their work rigorously, in a way that other people can check and confirm, and ethically, in a way that respects all research participants. Researching with integrity also means that scientists report their results honestly and clearly. On an institutional level, research integrity means that the U creates a culture that supports responsible research—through educational programs, evaluation of scientific projects, and more.
Research integrity is fundamental to our work at the U. It ensures that we can trust scientific results, whether they’re being used to guide our health care, build our technology, or further our understanding of the world around us.
The U has a remarkably strong culture of scientific integrity, which starts with making sure scientists have the support they need to do top-quality work. To that end, we offer many services to help researchers do their best work, from protocols that walk through best practices in data collection and data storage to working groups on how to be an effective research mentor.
Our Research Education program also runs virtual group classes and provides online trainings on many topics, including how to process scientific images or work with clinical study participants. This means that scientists never have to be unsure about the best way to do their science.
Our scientists proactively seek out these opportunities to improve their research process. In the past three years, the U’s Molecular Medicine Program has processed or reviewed hundreds of scientific images and figures, at the specific request of researchers looking to ensure that their data quality is top-notch. In 2023 alone, scientists made more than 50 requests for consultations with experts in research ethics, one of the many services provided by the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance. Engagement with these voluntary consultations, which are one of the more unique resources the U offers, demonstrates our researchers’ sincere commitment to ethical science. It also shows that our institution is open to questions and providing guidance on best practices.
Our policy on research misconduct provides clear guidance on what constitutes ethical research, based in federal and state policy as well as scientific best practices. Researchers can also consult our authorship policy—the only official institutional authorship policy in the U.S.—to be confident that the responsibilities and achievements of all researchers are properly documented.
Anyone who is concerned that research misconduct may be happening can bring their concern to the U’s research integrity officer (RIO). In addition to email and phone lines of contact, the U also offers an anonymous reporting form so that people can raise issues without hesitation.
The RIO then follows the research misconduct policy to ensure a fair and thorough review of the concern. To promote consistency and compliance, as well as set clear expectations for participants, the RIO follows a planned workflow.
To promote transparency in the process, we share information about ongoing misconduct inquiries with the person being investigated, the one who raised the concern, relevant deans and department chairs, and other involved parties. If the inquiry moves to a formal investigation, we’ll also notify relevant agencies outside the U, such as funding agencies for federally funded research. Our open process, which is the most transparent in the Association of American Universities (AAU), ensures that everyone involved can be confident that investigations are conducted appropriately.
At every step of the way, we take care to investigate claims consistently, comprehensively, and fairly. In the rare event of a confirmed instance of misconduct, we take a variety of steps depending on the nature of the incident. These steps can range from training researchers to avoid similar mistakes, to limiting a scientist’s responsibilities, to firing or expelling the individuals involved. Most importantly, our first priority is always to correct the research record.
Research misconduct is the exception, not the norm. While the advent of AI has prompted an increased number of misconduct concerns, the overwhelming majority of research remains experimentally and ethically sound.
I’m proud of our culture of research integrity—but not complacent. We continually work to further improve our process with the goal of bringing the low number of misconduct cases to zero.
We’re constantly on the lookout for ways to improve. In 2023 alone, we updated our research misconduct policy multiple times to stay current with changes to federal policy and scientific best practices.
But the U goes a step beyond complying with legal requirements through our active, voluntary involvement in national conversations around research integrity. We recently hosted a research integrity conference, and we’re currently developing a forum to design stronger protections for people who participate in research studies. We also publish original research on how to do science ethically.
The culture of research is always changing. We track these changes campus-wide through surveys on topics like professional behavior and conflict resolution, using what we’ve learned to develop ever-better trainings.
For instance, as artificial intelligence (AI) has started to pervade the research space, we’ve developed guidelines on appropriate use of AI in research. We have also started an AI community of practice group for scientists to discuss common concerns and best practices.
We provide many ways for researchers to improve their research process and prevent misconduct. For instance, we provide a guided framework for study teams to self-assess their research conduct and address any issues early, as well as performing mandatory reviews of a research team’s practices in cases of concern. We also seek to empower participants in human research studies, such as clinical trials, by helping with participant advocacy.
The U’s research integrity efforts and resources are overseen by a dedicated leader, the associate vice president for research integrity and compliance, ensuring a unified culture of responsible research campus-wide.
As conversations on research integrity continue to evolve, the U remains deeply committed to responsible research.
We ensure that our researchers have the resources and tools to do top-quality research. For scientists with questions about their own research process, we provide many avenues to proactively discuss and address those questions. If misconduct concerns do arise, we review the evidence comprehensively, promptly, and fairly.
We take research integrity seriously because it’s foundational to the success of the research enterprise. When science is done responsibly, industry, the government, and the general public can be confident in scientific findings. Our researchers demonstrate their commitment to integrity every day as they produce the rigorous science that benefits society.