In Australia, all researchers and research students are required to comply with The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code). The Code sets out the principles that characterise an honest, ethical and conscientious research culture that facilitate high quality research and includes 13 responsibilities for institutions who have an obligation to encourage and support responsible research conduct. It also provides 16 responsibilities for researchers to uphold in all aspects of their research.
Consistent with the University’s values of integrity, respect, rational inquiry and personal excellence, researchers must ensure that their research conduct and practice reflects the principles and responsibilities set out in the Code.
Research conduct which fails to meet the principles and responsibilities of the Code (including; not meeting required research standards, fabrication, falsification, misrepresentation and plagiarism), may be defined as a breach. ECU manages these breaches primarily through the Research Misconduct Policy and Research Misconduct Assessment procedures, supported by the ‘Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018’, one of the companion guides to the Code.
The Code - responsibilities for institutions and researchers
The code sets out a number of responsibilities for researchers and institutions when preventing, detecting, reporting and investigating potential breaches to the code.
The responsibility for researchers to report potential breaches of the Code is;
The responsibilities for institutions to facilitate prevention and detection and investigate potential breaches of the Code are;
Reporting research concerns or complaints
You may wish to lodge a formal complaint of a breach to the Code. Please see the ‘Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018’, which contains examples of breaches of the code.
Formal complaints must be lodged through ECU's Research Concerns and Complaints Reporting System.
ECU's approach to managing breaches
Once lodged through ECUs Research concerns or complaint lodgement form, ECUs Designated Officer determines whether the complaint relates to a potential breach of the Code and if it does, refers the matter to Preliminary Assessment. The specific approach to investigating research misconduct is outlined in ECU’s Research Misconduct Policy and Procedures, which is grounded in the advice contained within the Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
Contact for advice or further information
For further information about ECU's position on managing breaches to the Code, please contact research.integrity@ecu.edu.au