Research Misconduct [1]
Misconduct in research includes the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, reporting or reviewing research that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community for proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. It does not include honest errors in the recording, selection, or analysis of data or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data. Scholarly activity is broadly construed to include all activities of University personnel on official duty involving research, scholarship and creative activities, such as those involved in laboratory research, field work, observational studies, experimentation, research, and scholarship in the humanities and artistic expression.
Research and scholarly misconduct involves misrepresentation of the procedures and outcomes of research to gain some advantage. Misconduct may often be difficult to separate from error or poor judgment, from which it is distinguished by the intentions of the person(s) involved.
The University's Procedures for Dealing with Charges of Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activity [2] is written to comply with federal regulations requiring such procedures and also to maintain and enhance the integrity of research. See Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity [3] (Trustee Doc:T08-010) for further guidance.
Resources:
UMass Amherst Whistleblowing Policy [4]
Strategies to Help Prevent Plagiarism [5] - NSF OIG Corner, NCURA Magazine May/June 2022
Misconduct Case Summaries [6] - U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, Office of Research Integrity (ORI)