Glossary Glossary

Download a glossary of terms used in this course.

The opening module in this course provided an overview of how the standards for the responsible conduct of research are defined and established. This module now looks at the policies and procedures established to respond to conduct that fails to meet these standards.

The standard for expected responsible behavior is usually very high. The 2017 National Academies report, Fostering Integrity in Research, recommends that institutions (and therefore researchers):

maintain the highest standards for research conduct, going beyond simple compliance with federal regulations in undertaking research misconduct investigations and in other areas.


(Recommendation 2, Fostering Integrity in Research)

But what happens when researchers fail to meet this standard? What is misconduct? And what are the "other areas" of concern and why are they important? To address these questions, this module covers:

  • The definition of research misconduct (commonly referred to as falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism, FFP)
  • An overview of conduct that compromises the integrity of research but may not be significant enough to be considered misconduct (commonly referred to as "questionable research practices," QRPs)
  • How to meet your responsibility to report misconduct
  • The ways most research institutions and other organizations respond to allegations of misconduct

Meeting your responsibility to both avoid and report misconduct is vital to protecting your personal reputation as a researcher and public trust in all research.