1. Departments
  2. Office of Research Protections and Integrity (ORPI)
  3. Research Integrity

Research Integrity

Overview

It is the policy of UNC Charlotte that the research and creative activities of its faculty, postdoctoral fellows, staff and students be carried out with the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior. Responsible conduct of research (RCR) includes attributing appropriate credit for work that is not your own, practicing accurate and unbiased data collection, and accurately and honestly reporting research results. UNC Charlotte considers research misconduct, as defined below, to be a betrayal of the fundamental principles of scholarship, and the University will deal promptly with all such allegations.

Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.

  • Fabrication - making up data or results and reporting or recording them in the research record.
  • Falsification - manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
  • Plagiarism - the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

Federal and Institutional Requirements

In fulfillment of the Federal Research Misconduct Policy, federal agencies that support intramural or extramural research (e.g., PHS, NSF, DOD, DOE, etc.) have published their own policies or regulations to address research integrity and misconduct. Reporting requirements, time limits, and other conditions may differ depending on the funding source for a research project. However, note that UP 309: Research Misconduct Policy and the associated procedures apply to all individuals engaged in research at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, regardless of whether funding is involved. The University’s procedures provide a uniform framework for conducting inquiries and investigations into research misconduct allegations while ensuring full compliance with all appropriate federal regulations.

Any questions about research misconduct may be directed to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO), Dr. Angelica Martins (704-687-1876 / A.Martins@uncc.edu).

If you suspect research misconduct, you are encouraged to report it:

UNC Charlotte’s research misconduct procedures are designed to protect the rights of complainants and respondents. Regardless of whether the University determines that misconduct occurred, the RIO will undertake reasonable efforts to protect complainants who make good-faith allegations of research misconduct and others who cooperate in good faith with the evaluation of such allegations. The RIO will also take appropriate steps during the inquiry and investigation to prevent retaliation against the complainant in accordance with the provisions of University Policy 803, Reporting and Investigation of Suspected Improper Activities and Whistleblower Protection.

Who Responds to Allegations of Research Misconduct?

The Research Integrity Officer (RIO) is the official responsible for addressing all allegations of research misconduct at the University. The RIO oversees the research misconduct process, and takes reasonable steps to ensure the fair treatment of case participants and maintain--to the greatest possible extent--the confidentiality of case details.

Dr. Angelica Martins (704-687-1876 / A.Martins@uncc.edu) serves as the RIO for UNC Charlotte.

What Happens After an Allegation of Research Misconduct?

In compliance with federal regulations and as detailed in Research Misconduct Procedures, Supplemental to University Policy 309, allegations of research misconduct are evaluated according to a standardized process:

Evaluation process for research misconduct

To learn more about how allegations of research misconduct are handled at UNC Charlotte, please review University Policy 309 and the associated procedures. Any questions may be directed to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO), Dr. Angelica Martins (704-687-1876 / A.Martins@uncc.edu).

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires RCR training for all undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows funded by NSF awards (2007 America COMPETES Act; Federal Register of 08/20/2009).  The University of North Carolina at Charlotte offers multiple options to fulfill the requirements for the RCR training.  A passing grade in any of the following courses will satisfy the RCR training requirement:

Approved UNC Charlotte Research Ethics Courses
  • PHIL 6240/8240, GRAD 6240/8240:  Research Ethics in the Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
  • GRAD 6002/8002, GRAD 6302/8302:  Responsible Conduct of Research
  • BIOL 6260/8260:  Careers in Bioscience: Professional Development and Responsible Conduct
  • SPED 8671:  Doctoral Seminar in Special Education Research
  • PPOL 8602:  Research Design in Public Policy
  • PSYC 6107/8107:  Ethical and Professional Issues in Psychology
  • RSCH 8210:  Applied Research Methods
Online CITI Training
  • Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research Course
  • Physical Science Responsible Conduct of Research Course
  • Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research Course
  • Responsible Conduct of Research for Engineers
  • Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research Course
To add an RCR course to your CITI curriculum, follow these steps:
  1. Register for a CITI account:
    1. On the main CITI page, click “Register” to create an account.
    2. Enter “University of North Carolina at Charlotte” for your Organization, then complete the guided registration process.  Note for individuals who used CITI training at other institutions:  You may log into your account from your prior institution and in your main screen choose “Add Affiliation.”  Select “University of North Carolina at Charlotte” and complete any other required information when prompted.
  2. Log into your CITI Program account.
  3. Scroll to “Institutional Courses.”  Select “View Courses” beside the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
  4. Scroll down to “Learner Tools for University of North Carolina at Charlotte.”  Click “Add a Course.”
  5. A series of questions will appear.  Skip Questions 1-5.  For Question 6 “Responsible Conduct of Research (Not for IRB purposes),” select the course that most closely matches your discipline.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Submit.”
  6. The RCR course will be added to your “Institutional Courses” page.

For CITI-related questions, contact Mary Tomida in the Office of Research Protections and Integrity.

UNC Charlotte Resources

Log into your CITI account to access a free RCR course applicable to your field of study:

  • RCR Course Options:
    • Engineering
    • Social and Behavioral
    • Physical Sciences
    • Biomedical
    • Humanities
    • Administrative
Office of Research Integrity (ORI) Resources
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Resources
National Science Foundation (NSF) Resources
National Academies Resources