Research Intranet - For Research Staff

A breach is defined as a failure to meet the principles and responsibilities of the Code, including but not limited to; not meeting required research standards, fabrication, falsification, misrepresentation and plagiarism.

ECU has developed an online reporting form to raise research concerns or complaints. Any complaint received will be investigated and resolved in line with the university’s Research Misconduct policy and associated procedures. Research Integrity Advisors have been identified and trained, who assist in the promotion and fostering of responsible research conduct and provide advice to those with concerns about potential breaches of the Code. Professional Learning and a communication strategy support these initiatives to ensure all staff identify and report suspected breaches of The Code.

ECU has developed a communication plan and online and face to face professional learning for the research community on breaches of The Code including what is a potential breach and encouraging and facilitating reporting. Research Integrity Advisors have been identified and trained to assist in the promotion g of responsible research conduct and provide advice to those with concerns about potential breaches of the Code. Data collected through the complaints process will assist in targeting professional learning.

A breach is defined as a failure to meet the principles and responsibilities of the Code, including but not limited to; not meeting required research standards, fabrication, falsification, misrepresentation and plagiarism. ECU has developed an online anonymous form to facilitate the reporting of research concerns or complaints. Any complaint received will be investigated and resolved in line with the University’s Research Misconduct policy and associated procedures. Research Integrity Advisors have been identified and trained, who assist in the promotion of responsible research conduct and provide advice to those with concerns about potential breaches of the Code.

ECU has aligned its Research Misconduct policy and procedures to the Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, to ensure investigating concerns or complaints about potential breaches of the Code is timely, effective and in accord with procedural fairness. Principles of procedural fairness have been included in the updated Research Misconduct policy.

ECU has aligned its Research Misconduct policy and procedures to the Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research to ensure the welfare is supported of all parties involved in an investigation;

• Respondents are provided with an opportunity to bring a support person to any meeting;
• Employee Assistance Program or Student Counselling Service to be offered in all cases;
• Complainants will always be protected from any adverse consequences for having made the complaint; and
• Research Integrity Advisors have been identified and trained, who assist in the promotion and fostering of responsible research conduct and provide advice to those with concerns about potential breaches of the Code.

ECU has aligned its Research Misconduct policy and procedures to the Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research to ensure any investigation findings are based on the balance of probabilities, and any actions are commensurate with the seriousness of the breach.  The welfare of all parties is supported within any investigation;

• Panel terms of reference developed to set out the spectrum of breach and balance of probability test;
• Central database of complaints developed to ensure consistency across breach and action spectrum.

ECU manages potential breaches to the Code in line with the Research Misconduct Policy and Research Misconduct Assessment procedures:

• PL232 Research misconduct policy
• PL047 Responsible Research Conduct

ECU manages potential breaches to the Code in line with the Research Misconduct Policy and Research Misconduct Assessment procedures:

• Research Misconduct Assessment procedures

ECU have developed a number of practices to ensure any potential breach to the Code is managed in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness (National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Universities Australia (2018) Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research)

• Any concern or complaint can be reported through the online Research Complaints Report form, ensuring those complaints are dealt with confidentially, consistently, in line with the policy and principles of procedural fairness;
• ECU has provided all ECU staff and students access to online Research Integrity Professional Learning program delivered by Epigeum, which raises awareness of research integrity and provides researchers guidance on meeting their responsibilities of the Code.
• All approved ethics projects are monitoring and audited to ensure the projects are being conducted in line with the original approvals.

• National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Universities Australia (2018) Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
• National Health and Medical Research Council (2018) Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
• National Health and Medical Research Council, Research Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Factsheets
• Australian Research Council, Research Integrity Policy
• Office of Science and Technology Policy (2000) Federal Research Misconduct Policy.