Research Misconduct

Summary

Quick Facts:

Your reputation and that of your collaborators, faculty, field, and university depend on you conducting sound, responsible, and ethical research. Understanding how to conduct responsible research is key to avoiding a charge of misconduct.

Cornell maintains an anonymous tool, EthicsPoint, for reporting suspected research misconduct.

Every graduate student pursuing a research degree (master’s or doctoral) is required to complete training on Responsible Conduct of Research, addressing issues of authorship, peer review, plagiarism, and research misconduct. Each student must complete online training through Cornell’s Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA) prior to the end of the second registered semester.

Graduate students whose research involves human participants must seek review and receive a notice of approval or exemption from the Institutional Review Board before beginning their research.

Graduate students whose research involves live vertebrates must seek and receive a notice of approval from Cornell’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee prior to ordering, acquiring, or handling animals for their research.

Graduate fields and/or special committees may require additional training beyond these minimum requirements. 

In Depth

All members of the Cornell community have a responsibility to report suspected research misconduct. If you suspect research misconduct, you must report it.

Both the Graduate School Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Cornell’s Office of Research Integrity and Assurance can consult with you about reporting suspected research misconduct.

Use the anonymous tool, EthicsPoint, to report suspected research misconduct. Although this is an anonymous reporting mechanism, reporters may use the website (and a private password) to receive information about their report and any subsequent investigation.

Learn more about potential misconduct:

Several policies cover different aspects of research misconduct:

Related

Contact

Vanessa McCaffery
ORIA Compliance Administrator
vam22@cornell.edu
607-254-5162