Tarleton State University is committed to promoting and ensuring the highest standards of research integrity and the responsible conduct of research. Research misconduct is a violation of research integrity that undermines trust among colleagues, trust in our stewardship of public funds, and impedes the advancement of knowledge that impacts the well-being of society.

Research Misconduct

Research misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences in interpretations or judgments of data, nor does it include other forms of misconduct, such as sexual harassment, misuse of funds, or gross negligence in a person’s professional activities, etc.

Fabrication

Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.

  • Fabrication does not include differences in opinion
Falsification

Falsification is 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.

  • Falsification does not include honest error
  • Certain items, such as concentrations, content, or volumes will often give the impression of falsification should a simple typo occur. These numbers are extremely important and difficult to prove the result of honest error in published or submitted work.
Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

  • Plagiarism is often unintentional.
    • Ensure all team members or contributors are given credit
    • Ensure all references are cited correctly.
  • Plagiarism is considered to be one of the most damaging practices in scholarly work.

Reporting Research Misconduct

Maintaining our high standards of scholarly integrity is a shared responsibility of all Tarleton State University employees. Texan employees who become aware of possible research misconduct should report their concerns to their supervisor, department head, dean, or the vice president for research. You may also report research misconduct or discuss any concern about possible research misconduct by contacting the Office of Research Compliance through email: researchcompliance@tarleton.edu, phone: 254.968.9583, or in person at the RIED Building, 1225 N. US Hwy 281, Stephenville, TX 76401.

Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct

There are three stages of response to an allegation of misconduct: (1) assessment, (2) inquiry, and (3) investigation. Each of these stages is explained fully in university Rule 15.99.03.T1: Ethics in Research and Scholarship. All stages of response to an allegation are confidential to the full extent made possible by the law and characterized by respect and fairness towards the individuals involved. When the concern(s) and/or allegation(s) are expressed in good faith, reasonable steps are taken to protect against retaliation directed toward the position and reputation of the individual reporting research misconduct. The individual(s) responding to alleged misconduct are also treated with fairness and respect, and reasonable steps are taken to ensure that procedural safeguards listed in system regulations and in university rules and SAPs are followed.

Responsible Conduct of Research

Tarleton State University requires all faculty, staff and students eligible to conduct research be trained in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). All research eligible individuals must take the Collaborative Institutional Training Institute “CITI” RCR course. This requirement is in addition to any other RCR training. Research eligible individuals who have taken the CITI RCR course within the last five years at a previous institution do not need to retake the course. 

Access to certain university processes related to research for all faculty, staff and students who have not yet completed RCR training, will be suspended until the RCR training is completed. This includes, but not limited to, submission of IBC, IRB, and IACUC protocols and amendments.

CITI RCR Course

There are several discipline-specific courses that consist of an introduction, basic foundation text, embedded case studies, and quiz questions.

  • Biomedical Research
  • Social and Behavioral Research
  • Biosafety
  • Animal-specific courses
  • IACUC Requirements

CITI allows users to select more than one discipline-specific course when you first log in and register to take the RCR course. CITI automatically combines the unique modules for the disciplines selected when generating the modules for users training.

Review of the required materials and completion of the quizzes will take about 30-35 minutes per topic. Courses do not have to be completed in one session. A minimum, aggregate score of 80% is required to pass the RCR course. CITI allows users to retake the quizzes if the minimum score was not obtained to pass the course.

Upon course completion, a copy of the completion certificate will be available to print and retain for your records. The CITI system keeps track of all completion data, and Ohio State accesses completion data directly from CITI.

Federal RCR Requirements

NIH

All trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training grant, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive instruction in the RCR. Review NIH RCR NOT-OD-10-019 and NOT-OD-22-055. For the specified award categories, the Principal Investigator (PI) must develop a discipline-specific, tailored plan for RCR training that meets the NIH requirements. The instructional plan is evaluated as a component of the NIH funding proposal and applications lacking an RCR instructional plan may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed. 

The PI is responsible for ensuring that course attendance is monitored, and training records are maintained to document that all NIH supported trainees, fellows, and scholars received the required instruction. The PI must also comply with the specific reporting requirements in continuation applications. The instructional plan should include coursework with significant face-to-face interaction and participation by research faculty members. Analysis of relevant case studies is recommended. While on-line instruction may be used as a component of the training program, it is not sufficient to meet the NIH requirement for RCR instruction, except in special or unusual circumstances.

PI’s may want to use the online CITI RCR training course as part of instructional plan. All the NIH required topics are addressed in the CITI RCR coursework. If used, the most relevant, discipline-specific CITI RCR course (Biomedical Research, Social and Behavioral Research, Physical Science, Humanities, or Engineering) should be specified. The CITI RCR course also offers online case studies that can be used for face-to-face discussions.

NIH training records are subject to audit.

NSF

NSF requires universities to certify that it has a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who receive NSF support to conduct research. Certification of University compliance is done by an authorized Ohio State representative as part of the institutional proposal approval process (e.g., when a sponsored program officer submits the proposal in FastLane). Specific instructions are found in Chapter IV.B Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

All students and postdoctoral researchers supported by NSF sponsored projects must complete the CITI online course in the Responsible Conduct of Research within 60 days of appointment.  The PI is responsible for ensuring that all students and postdocs complete the CITI RCR course and begin a dialogue on the responsible conduct of research. The PI is also required to complete the CITI RCR training.  PI’s should not include any specific information on RCR training within proposals. NSF does not want program details – only the institution’s certification that there is a program in place.

Training records are subject to monitoring by NSF auditors.

NIFA

In accordance with sections 2, 3, and 8 of 2 CFR Part 422, institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures. 

In the event an application to NIFA results in an award, the Authorized Representative (AR) assures, through acceptance of the award that the institution will comply with the above requirements. Award recipients shall, upon request, make available to NIFA the policies, procedures, and documentation to support the conduct of the training.

Note that the training referred to herein shall be either on-campus or off-campus training. The general content of the ethics training will, at a minimum, emphasize three key areas of research ethics: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct. Each institution will be responsible for developing its own training system, as schools will need flexibility to develop training tailored to their specific student needs. 

Grantees should consider the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program for RCR (https://www.citiprogram.org/rcrpage.asp). Typically this RCR education addresses the topics of: Data Acquisition and Management – collection, accuracy, security, access; Authorship and Publication; Peer Review; Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities; Collaboration; Conflict of Interest; Research Misconduct; Human Subject Research; and Use of Animals in Research.

Waiving RCR Requirement

Individuals who meet all the criteria below may not be required to complete the training.

  • Not listed on any active human subjects, animal, or biosafety research protocols
  • Not listed on any sponsored research projects 
  • Not involved in the design, conduct, or reporting of research
  • Not involved in the oversight or administration of research 
  • Not involved in the teaching research, training on research, or the supervision of research

Conflicts of Interest

Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI): Tarleton Rule 15.01.03.T1

A Financial Conflict of Interest in research is present when a Significant Financial Interest affects, or could appear to affect, the professional judgment of a researcher when designing, conducting, or reporting research.

  • Each Investigator shall submit Financial Disclosure Statements to the Tarleton COI Official as required in system regulation 15.01.03, through Maestro.
  • The COI official will review disclosure statements and determine if FCOI exists.
  • If an FCOI exists, the COI Official will develop a Management Plan specifying the actions that will be taken to manage, reduce, or eliminate the FCOI. All FCOIs identified by the COI Official are required to be satisfactorily managed, reduced or eliminated prior to the expenditure of any sponsored research funds.
  • Investigators shall complete training via TrainTraq as required in system regulation 15.01.03. In addition, each Investigator shall annually certify that the Investigator is aware of and has read system regulation 15.01.03, and this rule, and is aware of the Investigator’s responsibilities regarding disclosure of SFIs and applicable federal regulations.

Other Conflicts of Interest (COI)

Other conflicts of interest exist where the investigator has a personal relationship with a team member or study subject. All conflicts of interest, whether financial or personal, should be reported through Maestro and/or email to the conflict of interest officials.

Tarleton’s conflict of interest officials are Dr. Rupa Iyer (Institutional Official) and Dr. Deborah Roark (Asst. Vice President for Research Operations).

A&M System Policy and Regulations

  • Conflict of Interest Policy: “purpose is to protect the credibility and integrity of System researchers and staff, as well as component universities and agencies themselves, so that public trust and confidence in their sponsored research activities are maintained.”
  • Intellectual Property Management and Commercialization
  • Ethics in Research and Scholarship: “The credibility of academic research and scholarship depends critically on the integrity with which it is designed, conducted, documented, and communicated. As institutions of higher education committed to the advancement of scholarship, the System and each of its components are responsible for promoting academic practices that encourage honesty and scientific integrity, and develop rules and procedures for dealing with allegations or other indications of fraud or serious misconduct.”
  • Administration of Sponsored Agreements – Research and Other: House Bill 1295, effective September 1, 2015, amended requirements under Texas Education Code, sections 51.954 and 51.955, for full and conspicuous disclosure of research sponsors on all oral and written communications intended for public consumption. Any faculty member, employee, or appointee of the TAMU System or its members must comply with this requirement. Under this statute, sponsored research is considered to be any activity conducted under contract with an external individual or entity, where the external entity has provide any level of monetary, material, or in-kind support for the research. Public communications may include but not necessarily limited to oral administrative, legislative, regulatory, or judicial testimony, printed materials including magazine, journals, newsletters, briefs, brochures, or web publications. Conspicuous disclosure implies that the sponsor’s identity must be presented in a manner that a reasonable person would notice or be capable of hearing