Research Integrity - Overview and Principles
All researchers are encouraged to participate in the university's training courses that provide a general introduction to the concept of research integrity and why it is important to keep your knowledge in this area up to date. Researchers may find these useful for individual reflection or as a starting point for discussion within a research group or new collaboration.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- The training courses for PGRs and staff at UofG are available via our research integrity training website
- Further guidance
- Relevant policies
- Useful resources
- US Office of Research Integrity interactive game ‘The Lab’ (available in several languages)
- UKRIO Webinar Series
- UKRIO checklist for researchers with key points of good practice in research. Accessible version also available [PDF]
Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the submission or presentation of work in any form, which is not your own, without acknowledgment of the sources. Self-plagiarism (also known as text-recycling) is where a researcher uses his or her previously disseminated text, data or ideas 'as new', without indicating their prior dissemination.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Research Integrity Training at UofG cover the topics of plagiarism and self plagiarism
- Online plagiarism quiz from Indiana University Bloomington
- Office of Research Integrity (ORI) Guide to Ethical Writing
- UofG policies
- Self-plagiarism guidance
- Articles
- "You will be caught" (editorial)
Image Manipulation
Understanding the acceptable practices for publication of scientific images is essential to avoid retractions and research misconduct allegations.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Online module from ORI on Research Integrity and Image Processing
- STM Instructional Videos: Image Integrity in Scientific Publication
- UofG Policies
- Bioimaging Image Manipulation Policy from the School of Molecular Biosciences
- Useful resources
- Presenting scientific images with integrity from ORI [PDF]
- "What's in a picture? The temptation of image manipulation" [article]
- Elizabeth Bik on "Bad Science and Image Manipulation" [video]
- Advice on photo-documentary [PDF]
Publication and Authorship
Conduct in publication addresses the responsibilities that programme leaders have when authorising the publication of results. Beyond deciding on an appropriate place of publication, authorisation should cover the content of the paper, i.e. integrity of results, adequacy of internal peer review, appropriate protection of intellectual property rights. Publication conduct also concerns meeting University and funder requirements for open access, and ensuring there is no conflict of interest in the publication, use of data, or protection of IP. Many journals are starting to provide checklists for authors on issues to consider, prior to publication.
It is vital that those who carried out the work get recognition for their contribution on publications, whether through authorship or acknowledgements. This includes technical and other core staff. The Code of Good Practice in Research covers the expectations for authorship / acknowledgement including the CReDiT taxonomy requirement.
Training and Online Resources
- Policies
- UofG Code of Good Practice in Research (includes authorship guidance and links to other relevant policies
- Guidance from the sector
- UofG User Guide: Authorship and CRediT (includes roles of Technical and other Core Staff)
- COPE guidance on How to handle authorship disputes: a guide for new researchers [PDF]
- UKRIO authorship resources
- Articles
- Other resources
- How to get your paper published (video from EMBO Press)
Intellectual Property Advice
The Intellectual Property & Commercialisation team in the Research & Innovation Services office provide help and advice in all aspects of intellectual property arising from research. Researchers are encouraged to think clearly about IP ownership and potential conflicts of interest prior to the outset of any collaborations.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Online training tools from the Intellectual Property Office
- Contact the Intellectual Property & Commercialisation team for training opportunities
- The Graduate Schools may run workshops on intellectual property throughout the year for PGRs
- Policies
- Further guidance
Reproducibility, Stats and Research Design
Good experimental design and proper use of statistics is at the heart of research integrity, in order to ensure that research is reliable and reproducible. Increasingly, journals are setting out their own standards for these and researchers have a responsibility to keep up to date with what is expected and understood to be good research practice in their discipline. The University of Glasgow joined the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) in 2020.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Details are available on the Researcher Development For PGRs website as well as development opportunities for staff researchers. Researchers should discuss the most appropriate workshop with their PI or Supervisor.
- UofG PsyTeachR teaching resources
- Additional guidance
- Open research primers for researchers (UKRN)
- The Turing Way handbook for reproducible data science
- Articles
- "How Scientists Fool Themselves" (Nature article)
Research Ethics
The University of Glasgow requires ethical review of all non-clinical research involving humans subjects, data and materials, including social media. We work within the Department of Health/NHS ethics framework for clinical research on humans. We are committed to being open and transparent about the research we conduct involving animals. Research also poses wider social, political, legal and confidentiality issues that must be considered. Anyone undertaking research involving animals or humans should ensure they are fully aware of their obligations in this area and have read the guidance from their College Ethics Committee.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- FutureLearn MOOCs on Research Ethics
- Contact Graduate Schools (PGRs) or College Offices (staff) for information on workshops relating to ethical approval processes:
- Other resources
Data Management
Throughout their work, researchers are required to keep clear and accurate records of the procedures followed and of the results obtained, including interim results. This is necessary not only as a means of demonstrating proper research practice, but also in case questions are subsequently asked about the conduct of the research or the results obtained.
The University requires data to be securely held for a period of ten years after the completion of a research project, or for longer if specified by the research funder or sponsor. The University is committed to ensuring data derived from publicly funded research is made available to other organisations and the Research Information Management Team (based within the library) can support you with open access and data management queries.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- University Research Data Management Policy
- Covered within the UofG Code of Good Practice in Research
- Guidance for UofG staff and students
- Event recordings
Open Research
Open research refers to practices that share research early and widely from different stages of the research process. This includes methods, materials, design and analysis, protocols, data, software, educational resources, reviews, and publication.
The University strongly encourages the adoption of open research practices - benefits include improved visibility of research, greater transparency and reproducibility, enhanced opportunities for collaboration, earlier claim to your ideas, and improved public confidence in research. All researchers should comply with the Research Publications and Copyright Policy; support is available from the Research Information Management Team in the Library.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- UofG Policies
- Guidance for UofG staff and students
- Event recordings
Collaboration
Prior to embarking on a research collaboration (even small or informal projects), researchers should ensure that all partners have a shared understanding of good research practice and responsibilities, and that IP, conflicts of interest, and authorship are carefully considered to prevent issues. Many of the resources in the research integrity overview section of this webpage will be useful to stimulate discussion of this topic. Particular challenges may be presented where the research is being undertaken across international boundaries and the Montreal statement will be helpful in considering these.
Training and Online Resources
- Policies
- UofG Code of Good Practice in Research - includes guidance on collaboration
- UofG Safeguarding in research policies
- Additional guidance from UofG
- Guidance from the sector
- Articles
Peer Review
Peer review is a key way that researchers can support their academic community. Researchers should ensure they understand their ethical obligations for peer review, including declaring conflicts of interest, and seek training if required. The online training courses below are available to all University of Glasgow staff and students (registration required). They are a good starting point and would also be useful for a refresher on good peer review practice.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Guidance from the sector
- Articles
Communicating Research to a Wider Audience
The University is committed to transparency and open communication, including dissemination of research findings to the wider public. Researchers should consider their strategies for this carefully, to ensure they are aware of the most appropriate channels of communication as well as any potential pitfalls.
Training and Online Resources
- UofG guidance
- Other resources
- Public engagement
Responsible use of GenAI
The resources below focus on responsible use of Generative AI tools in academic and research integrity, to help research students and staff use the tools in line with the university guidelines.
Training and Online Resources
- Training
- Generative AI in Education from the School of Education, UofG
- Generative AI for Students: Ethics & Academic Integrity from Student Learning Development, UofG
- University guidelines
- UofG AI Information for Students including advice on: Using AI for study, research and writing – without breaking our academic integrity rules
- AI Guidance for Researchers
- A summary of the above guidelines was created to help PGRs: Good research practice: using GenAI in PGR studies
- Other resources
- Recorded talk from Dr Mohammad Hosseini hosted by the Netherlands Research Integrity Network (YouTube)
- UKRIO AI resource page providing sector guidance
- Using GenAI like a Scientist (infographic)
- Dr Andrew Porter from CRUK covers ethical considerations in this blog post
Responsible Research Metrics
Research metrics are indicators used to evaluate research including: research outputs, PGR supervision, and recruitment. There are several initiatives that have been set up to address the issues with using metrics in research evaluation, and help to improve how research is evaluated. The university's commitment to responsible use of research metrics is covered in the UofG resources below.
Training and Online Resources
- University guidelines
- UofG statement on responsible research metrics
- UofG website for research indicators with guidance on quantitative measures that help to evaluate research outputs
- UofG commitment to DORA and the Hong Kong principles
- Major initiatives looking at how research is evaluated:
- DORA (the Declaration on Research Assessment) - see also the UofG DORA Case Study
- The Leiden Manifesto for research metrics
- CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment)
- UK CORI (UK Committee on Research Integrity) including their research integrity indicators project
- The SCOPE Framework from INORMS: asks you to consider what you are measuring and whether you are using the metric tools responsibly and provides guidance on how to implement the various principles now in place, such as DORA & the Leiden Manifesto
- REF2029 and research metrics: Report reviewing the role of metrics for research assessment in the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
- Other resources
- The Bibliomagician Blog: created by a group of academics and professional services staff interested in the role of bibliometrics in academia and the current issues within it
- The Metrics Toolkit: aims to help explore the different kinds of metrics and explains how to use them
- Research Impact Things: offers a programme designed to teach users about metrics and how to use them well