Research misconduct is defined as intentional, knowing, or reckless fabrication of data, falsification of data, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
Research misconduct does not include honest errors, differences of opinion, or disputes over authorship or credit.
- Fabrication and Falsification of Research Results
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Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the experimental outcomes are not accurately represented in the research record.
For example, it is fabrication to collect no data or to collect data from N trials and then report data from N+X experiments. It is fabrication to use “representative” images to illustrate results when the images were produced by generative AI and not actual experiments. It is falsification of data to intentionally use image-processing software like Adobe Photoshop to alter a blot for viewing by adding or deleting bands, differentially adjusting the intensity or contrast of bands, splicing lanes without using a clear indicator of the splice, or juxtaposing pieces from different gels onto a single image. It is falsification to label an image from one experiment as representing a different experiment.
The same standards of accuracy and integrity that pertain to manuscripts prepared or submitted for publication also apply to grant applications and progress reports, posters and talks presented at symposia, dissertations, etc. For example, reporting the results of experiments not yet performed to support a proposal for funding is data fabrication and subject to a finding of research misconduct, even if the proposal is rejected or withdrawn.
Research integrity requires that reported conclusions are based on accurately recorded and presented data and all truthfully reported observations. It is falsification to intentionally delete data or fail to report relevant data in any way that conceals the authentic outcome of experiments.
- Plagiarism
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Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words, without giving appropriate credit. Plagiarism includes the unattributed verbatim or nearly verbatim copying of sentences and paragraphs from another’s work that materially misleads the reader regarding the contributions of the original author. This applies to reviews, methodological and background/historical sections of research papers, original research results and interpretations, grant applications and proposals, clinical research protocols, and student papers submitted for academic credit. If there is word-for-word copying beyond a short phrase of six or seven words from someone else’s text, that section should be enclosed in quotation marks or indented and referenced to the original source, at the location in the manuscript of the copied material.
Plagiarism violates the long-standing code of conduct governing all scholars and researchers, and may also constitute an infraction of the law by infringing on a copyright held by the original author or publisher. An author should cite the work of others even if they had been a coauthor or editor of the work to be cited or had been an adviser or student of the author of such work.
The work of others should be cited or credited, whether published or unpublished, and whether written work, oral presentation, material on a Web site, or the creative products of artistic pursuits. Well-established concepts that are frequently found in textbooks or phrases describing commonly used methodology do not need to be cited. While each journal or publisher may specify a particular form of appropriate citation, general citation guidance can be found on the University of Pittsburgh library website.
Plagiarism does not include self-plagiarism (text-recycling) or authorship or credit disputes, including disputes among former collaborators who participated jointly in the development or conduct of a research project. Self-plagiarism and authorship disputes do not meet the definition of research misconduct.
- Misuse of Privileged Information
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Plagiarism includes the unattributed copying of "privileged information" such as ideas, text, or original figures in grant applications or manuscripts received from a funding agency or journal for confidential peer review. Such plagiarism constitutes a serious theft of intellectual property, because it denies the source author both appropriate credit by citation and priority of first publication or first use of the original idea. Furthermore, one who breaches confidentiality by showing a privileged unpublished document to an unauthorized person can be considered to share responsibility for any subsequent plagiarism of the document committed by that unauthorized person.
- Reporting Suspected Misconduct
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Reporting suspected research misconduct is a shared and important responsibility of all members of the academic community. Any person who suspects research misconduct must report the allegation directly to the Research Integrity Officer (research.integrity@pitt.edu) or through the Pitt Concern Connection. Anonymous allegations are acceptable; however, sufficient detail and/or corroborating evidence must be provided to initiate Research Misconduct Proceedings.
Allegations are handled under procedures described in the University Policy RI 07 "Research Misconduct." All reports are treated confidentially to the extent possible, and no adverse action will be taken, either directly or indirectly, against a person who makes such an allegation in good faith. Protection of whistleblowers against retaliation is guaranteed under policies of both the University and federal and state governments.
Allegations of Research Misconduct will not bring the questioned Research to a halt or be the basis for other disciplinary or adverse actions unless compelling reasons are found through the Research Misconduct proceedings, such as potential harm to human subjects, animal subjects, or society.
All parties involved in a Research Misconduct proceeding are obligated to maintain confidentiality. However, this obligation will not prevent the University from notifying parties on a need-to-know basis at any time. The Research Integrity Officer may be required by law to report findings of misconduct in externally funded research to the funding agency or source, and in some cases an allegation must be reported before the investigation is completed.