Research Integrity and Misconduct

Research misconduct normally refers to violations of the ethical principles and values, as well as the ethical duties and professional standards on which responsible and correct conduct is based by those who carry out, finance or evaluate scientific research and by the institutions that promote and perform that research. The application of principles and values and the respect for ethics and professional standards act as a guarantee of the very quality of research and contribute to increasing the reputation and public image of science, with important repercussions on the scientific community and society.

The violation of the principles and ethical values, ethical duties and professional standards on which responsible and proper conduct is based by those who carry out, finance or evaluate scientific research, as well as by the institutions that promote and carry it out, is usually referred to as "Research Misconduct".

Here you can consult the most relevant international sites and documents on Research Integrity.

A) How to prevent the accidental presence of fabrication/falsification of images/data and the plagiarism of texts

The Research Integrity Unit of the Committee can be contacted, exclusively by CNR personnel, for the verification of the eventual presence of falsified, fabricated or plagiarized images/data/texts before the submission of articles/projects to editors/subsidiary agencies.

The outcome of the verification will be communicated to the researcher who requested it in the form of a technical report that will allow him/her to correct any criticalities identified or to revoke the consent to be included among the authors.

To request verification, please write to the e-mail address integrity@cnr.it, enclosing in the request the documentation to be examined. The same e-mail address can be used to request ethical advice regarding the attribution of the status of co-author of a scientific article in the process of submission.

B) How to report a case of research misconduct

Reports of alleged research misconduct, duly documented, can be submitted in several ways:

  1. by writing to the Committee at the following e-mail address:  integrity@cnr.it
  2. by post, at the address: 
    Research Ethics and Integrity Committee of the CNR, 
    Via dei Taurini, 19 - 00185, Rome

  3. by contacting the Institute Director, the Director of Department, The Director General or the President of the CNR

Allegations may concern research activities carried out by CNR staff or carried out with CNR funds, or publications with authors affiliated to the CNR.

The Coordinator of the Committee, after pseudonymization, submits cases of alleged research misconduct to the Committee for evaluation, together with the documentation submitted in support of the allegation, when appropriate, as well as explanations and possible counter-arguments made in this respect by the CNR staff named in the allegations. If appropriate, in addition to this documentation, the Coordinator submits a technical report analysing the fabrication/falsification or plagiarism of images/data/texts prepared together with the Research Integrity Unit of the Committee using software developed for this purpose. All documentation sent to the Committee will be circulated only within the Committee.

The authors of the allegations and the personnel named in the allegations will be granted confidentiality, within the limits of the law, during the process of analysis of the case as well as after the release of the ethical advisory report by the Committee.

For more information, ph.: +390649932999.

C) How to report a case of research misconduct concerning personnel from universities, research institutions and scientific institutions

The Deans of Universities, the Presidents of Research Institutions and, in general, the heads of scientific or technological institutions, public or private, may request from the Committee an ethical advice on cases of alleged research misconduct concerning personnel belonging to their structures. The process of analysis of alleged research misconduct is carried out in accordance with the warranty procedures used for the personnel of the CNR. The Committee’s Coordinator shall involve the personnel concerned by the allegations in the investigation process and shall keep the abovementioned persons, who submitted the request to the Committee, informed of the progress of the examination.

Requests can be submitted by e-mail to the Committee at the following address: integrity@cnr.it. For more information, ph.: +390649932999.

A contribution of 1000,00€ (excluding VAT) is required to finance the Committee's operating costs.

Last update: 12/02/2024