Research Integrity - Research - Newcastle University

Principles

The Concordat to Support Research Integrity defines research integrity as a set of individual and collective behaviours that define good research practice:

Honesty in all aspects of research including gathering data, reporting findings and acknowledging the work of others.
Rigour in using appropriate research methods in line with prevailing disciplinary norms and standards, adhering to an agreed protocol, drawing interpretations from the research and communicating the results.
Transparency and open communication in declaring potential competing interests, the analysis and interpretation of data and making research findings widely available.
Care and respect for all research subjects, users and beneficiaries; including humans, animals, the environment and cultural objects. Those engaged with research must also show care and respect for the integrity of the research record.
Accountability of funders, employers and researchers to collectively create a positive and inclusive research environment.

As a signatory of the Concordat, we publish an annual statement on our activities:

As part of the University's onboarding process, all new academic colleagues are provided with information about our commitment to the Concordat and the expectations of researchers.

Code of Good Practice in Research

Newcastle University is committed to rigorous high standards in our research activities and ensuring that ethical, legal and professional obligations are met. Expectations for all colleagues and students are set out in the University’s Code of Good Practice in Research.

Activities

The University promotes research integrity via a wide range of activities including:

Research integrity and ethics training
Research methods and skills training
Faculty Postgraduate Researcher Development Programmes
Principle Investigator Development Programme
Leadership and management training
Access to resources through institutional membership of the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)

Authorship Guidelines

The University has produced the following tools to support good practice in assigning authorship and giving credit for intellectual work:

Attribution of Authorship Guidelines
Publication and Authorship Agreement - template form that can be adapted to create a formal record of what has been agreed.
Guidance on raising concerns over Authorship Practices

UK Research Integrity Office

University colleagues and students can access further information and resources on research integrity as well as a number of resources via the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) website. Further information about the University’s institutional membership of UKRIO and the support available to researchers is available here: UK RIO

Professional Guidelines

Research Misconduct

The University is committed to using transparent, timely, robust and fair processes to deal with allegations of research misconduct when they arise. For more information, please refer to the University's webpage on Research Misconduct.

Contact

University Research and Innovation Committee has oversight of all matters relating to research integrity.

The named person responsible for research integrity at Newcastle University is the Pro Vice Chancellor for Research Strategy and Innovation, Professor Matthew Grenby.

Enquiries should be directed to the Research Integrity and Governance Manager: research.integrity@ncl.ac.uk