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Research Integrity

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Research Integrity fosters responsibility in the conduct of university research and scholarship, in compliance with federal, state, and university regulations and guidelines.

The focus of the Research Integrity Officer is to be a resource for campus faculty, students, and staff in their research-related activities through training and technical assistance. The Vice Chancellor for Research is the campus Research Integrity Officer and reports to the Chancellor of UMKC.

Compromising integrity harms the researcher, his/her research, the institution and the scientific community. Compromise can take many forms, but the categories of Fabrication, Falsification and Plagiarism are governed by Federal regulation and by the UMKC Research Misconduct policy and procedures. These regulations, policies and procedures are in place to evaluate alleged misconduct, address misconduct that has taken place, and to the extent possible mitigate the harmful effects of misconduct.

University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations specify: "Any person who receives allegations of research misconduct must promptly forward them, in writing, to the dean or director of the academic unit in which the accused individual is located." (420.010)

If you have a question related to research integrity, contact the Research Integrity Officer.

Core Areas

Responsible practices for acquiring and maintaining research data. Proper methods for record keeping and electronic data collection and storage in scientific research. Includes defining what constitutes data; keeping data notebooks or electronic files; data privacy and confidentiality; data selection, retention, sharing, ownership, and analysis; data as legal documents and intellectual property, including copyright laws.

The purpose and importance of scientific publication, and the responsibilities of the authors. Includes topics such as collaborative work and assigning appropriate credit, acknowledgments, appropriate citations, repetitive publications, fragmentary publication, corrections and retractions, application of discipline-based conventions for deciding upon authors, author responsibilities. To support responsible authorship and publication practices at UMKC, the Office of Research Services encourages researchers’ use of iThenticate software to prescreen grant proposals and scholarly papers for possible plagiarism or misuse of text.

The mutual responsibilities of mentors and trainees in all levels of research includes the role of a mentor, responsibilities of a mentor and a trainee, conflicts between mentor and trainee, collaboration and competition, selection of a mentor, and misusing the mentor/trainee relationship.

Responsible collaborations and issues that may arise from such endeavors includes topics such as setting ground rules early in the collaboration, avoiding authorship disputes, effective communication across disciplines, and the sharing of materials and information with internal and external collaborators.

The UMKC Institutional Review Board reviews all non-exempt human subject research applications for research involving investigators or occurring at the University of Missouri – Kansas City to ensure they meet the appropriate regulatory and institutional requirements. The principles which govern the IRB in assuring that the rights and welfare of subjects are protected are those principles embodied in the regulations and the Federal Wide Assurance. The Board also reviews proposed research for compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. To accomplish this purpose, a group deliberation process is used to review and approve protocols and related materials.

Issues pertinent to the responsible conduct of research involving non-human animals. Includes topics such as definition of research, ethical principles for conducting research with non-human animals, pertinent Federal regulations and guidelines, Animal Care and Use Committee, and treatment/care.

The meaning of research misconduct and the regulations, policies, and guidelines that govern research misconduct in PHS-funded institutions. Includes topics such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism; error vs. intentional misconduct; institutional misconduct policies; identifying misconduct; procedures for reporting misconduct; protection of whistleblowers; and outcomes of investigations, including institutional and federal actions.

The definition and types of research conflicts of interest and commitment by faculty, staff, students, and by the institution, and how to handle these research-related issues. Includes topics such as conflicts associated with collaborators, publication, financial conflicts, effort, obligations to other constituencies, and other types of conflicts.

If you need assistance with a disclosure or have questions about a potential conflict of interest, please contact Chris Winders, Conflict of Interest Committee Administrator, at 816 235-5370 or by email at umkccoioffice@umkc.edu.

In collaboration with Environmental Health and Safety, safety issues related to research, including radiation safety, safe laboratory procedures, biological safety, and toxic waste handling.