7.6.3 Research Integrity

Research integrity is the overarching ethical framework encompassing honesty, accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity throughout the research process, and its...

Research integrity is the overarching ethical framework encompassing honesty, accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity throughout the research process, and its violation is conventionally categorised into three principal forms of serious misconduct: fabrication (inventing data or results that were never actually generated), falsification (manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or data such that the research is not accurately represented in the resulting record), and plagiarism as described above. Less severe but still consequential integrity concerns include inappropriate image manipulation (beyond simple, disclosed brightness/contrast adjustment applied uniformly across an entire image), selective or inappropriate statistical reporting (such as the p-hacking practices discussed in Phase 6), and failure to retain raw data for the period required by institutional or journal policy, typically a minimum of five to ten years post-publication. Most academic institutions and funding bodies now require formal research-integrity training as a condition of research participation, and maintain a defined institutional process for investigating allegations of misconduct.