| Policies and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Misconduct in Research | |
| A. | General Policy |
| The mission statement of Tennessee Technological University (TTU) encourages research because it is an important component of a university. In carrying out its mission, TTU recognizes that it has a responsibility to support all of the research activities of its faculty, students, staff and others. TTU must make every effort to ensure that high ethical standards are maintained in the research that is performed under its auspices. The policies and procedures described in this document are designed to maintain the integrity of all research and related activities at TTU. | |
| B. | Scope |
| These policies and procedures shall apply to all instances of alleged or apparent misconduct involving research, research training, and other activities related to research that are conducted under the auspices of TTU. These policies and procedures apply to all individuals involved in research in association with TTU including faculty, administrators, guest researchers, volunteers, technicians, collaborators, other staff, and students. For purposes of this policy statement, a modified version of the definition of misconduct included in Public Health Service (PHS) regulation codified at 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart A will be used. The PHS definition is expressed in terms of misconduct in scientific research. The definition utilized in these policies and procedures eliminates reference to "scientific" so that it is clear that the definition includes all research carried out under the auspices of TTU. For purposes of these polices and procedures misconduct or misconduct in research occurs when there is fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted for proposing, conducting, or reporting research. It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data. The burden of proof of an allegation of misconduct in research lies with TTU. | |
| The Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies will serve as the Research Integrity Officer (RIO). Questions concerning the application of this policy should be referred to that office. | |
| [Approved by the Administrative Council, October, 1995.] | |
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This page maintained by Carol Holley. Last Updated: September 12, 2003 |