Resources for Integrity Champions and Advisers
Training for Champions and Advisers
We have an induction resource for new Research Integrity Champions and Advisers, which includes links for all relevant documents and resources.
Role of Integrity Champions and Advisers
The role of the Research Champion and Adviser is to tackle barriers to communication and reduce the stigma often associated with reporting and discussing integrity concerns. Research Integrity Champions and Advisers offer an informal opportunity to discuss concerns staff and students have about research integrity. Further details on the role of Champions and Advisers can be found in the descriptors on the below.
As part of their ongoing responsibnilities, Integrity Champions and Advisers are required to complete logbooks as enquiries regarding integrity occur. Integrity Champions and Advisers are also required to log anything they have personally undertaken or that has occurred at the School/College level to promote good research culture. To assist with this please find an example logbook in the resources below that gives an indication of the types of things that may occur and how a logbook should be completed.
Resource:
Role Description for Integrity Champion
Role Description for Integrity Adviser
The Royal Society Integrity in Practice Toolkit.
Role of Integrity Champions/Advisers In Misconduct
The core role of the Research Integrity Champion/Adviser is to provide guidance and support in relation to good research practice. Champions/Advisers also ensure that advice is available to researchers (staff and students) who are unsure about a research conduct issue and may be considering whether to make an allegation of misconduct.
This document is intended to clarify the actions and role of the Champion/Adviser when queries, concerns or allegations are communicated to them. This document supplements section 3.3 of the Research Misconduct Policy (hereafter referred to as the “Code”).
Fundamentally, this document aims to reinforce the principle that concerns regarding research misconduct should be jointly managed between the College and Research and Innovation Services (R&I Services).
The Research Misconduct Policy Workflow and an Accessible Text Version are available in EdShare
The clarifications below are motivated by the need to:
- Avoid duplication of effort where College-based Champions/Advisers have gone to some length to understand a query, concern or allegation, only for that investigation necessarily needing to be repeated more formally by R&I Services.
- Reduce the workload of College-based Champions/Advisers.
- Obtain better oversight and support of early-stage queries. It is vital to the integrity of research that early-stage queries are supported and, wherever possible, resolved.
- Emphasise that Central Services are there to support resolution in the first instance, and not to investigate or impose sanctions.
- Reduce any institutional risk of College-based Champions/Advisers acting (or not acting) with the terms of the Code and within the required timescales. This risk is heightened when cases are more involved, i.e. where they might lead to the need to contact funders or publishers.
- Remove potential or perceived conflicts of interest between Champions/Advisers and respondents.
At any time, Research Integrity Champions and Advisers may seek advice or support by contacting the Named Person via R&I Services (research-integrity@glasgow.ac.uk)
How Integrity Champions/Advisers Report Concerns and Allegations
The advisory role of Champions/Advisers in addressing queries is distinct from their role in addressing concerns about research conduct raised by a student or staff member, or indeed when approached by a student or staff member who is thinking of making an allegation of misconduct. In these cases, the Champion/Adviser acts as an initial contact only.
What to do if a concern or allegation arises:
The Champion/Adviser should answer the following questions when assessing an allegation of research misconduct:
- What is the nature of the allegation, and does it fall into one of the university’s definitions of misconduct? If yes continue, if no refer to department that it does fall into i.e. staff conduct – human resources, legal = legal, bullying and harassment – respect advisers – Other = Complaints
- Does the allegation relate to an authorship dispute?
- If the allegations relate to a simple internal authorship dispute (i.e. a dispute between two researchers that does not also contain a report of another allegation that warranties referral to a different policy [see question 1]), then gather evidence from both sides and make a judgment call based on CRediT Taxonomy and contributor roles.
- If not simple authorship and if any allegation relates to work in the public domain, refer to central research integrity inbox research-integrity@glasgow.ac.uk .
Unless simple authorship that can be dealt with internally, the Champion/Adviser should record the case as described to them by the complainant, in as much detail as possible without the need to review documentation or conduct interviews.
The details of the case should then be communicated confidentially (without disclosing the identities of the parties involved) as follows:
- If an Adviser receives a concern or an allegation of misconduct, they should contact their College Integrity Champion, who will then contact the Named Person via research-integrity@glasgow.ac.uk.
- If the Adviser perceives a conflict of interest with the College Champion, the Adviser should contact the Named Person directly via research-integrity@glasgow.ac.uk.
- Where an allegation is received from a source external to the University, it should be forwarded immediately to the Named Person.
The role of the Champion/Adviser is therefore not to conduct or coordinate investigations into allegations of misconduct, nor is it to decide whether a case should be dismissed or investigated; that is the role of the Named Person and the Research Integrity Council.
The Named Person and their support team will follow our Code and in so doing select the most appropriate option available to them, ranging from dismissal of the concern, informal resolution, through to initiating an informal process, which might progress to a full investigation. After considering the details of the case, the Named Person might ask the College Champion or local Adviser to see if a resolution to the concern or allegation can be reached informally e.g. via a discussion with the complainant and/or respondent. The Named Person and their support team will also mediate all communications with external parties such as funders, publishers or external collaborators.
Please keep in mind that confidentiality is vital throughout all cases of possible misconduct: the names of the individuals involved (whether that be the complainant, the respondent, or other parties) should not be disclosed. The name of the complainant should not be disclosed to the respondent unless written consent has been given by the complainant to do so.
What Record Keeping Should Integrity Champs/Advisers Do?
Record-keeping
In all cases, whether a query, a concern or an allegation, the Champion/Adviser is required to note case details in their logbook. Here is an Example Logbook with examples on how to complete these.
What can you ask an Integrity Adviser?
Queries
Staff and students might have questions or requests for clarification about an aspect of research practice; for example, publication policy, data ownership, ethical approval, or integrity training. These queries may be resolved locally by the Champion/Adviser, without notifying Research Services.
Alternatively you can contact Amanda McKenna (Research Integrity Adviser [Misconduct]) for any questions and queried regarding research integrity.