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Research Misconduct

Research Misconduct Overview

Research misconduct is defined in HHS and DoD regulations:

"Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results."

  • 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 research is not accurately represented in the research record.
  • Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.

Detrimental Research Practices (DRPs) deviate from best scientific standards but do not constitute formal misconduct. DRPs are much more common that research misconduct and can be more harmful to science, because studies using these practices end up being part of the permanent scientific record.

Reporting Research Misconduct

Concerns about possible research misconduct should be reported to the WRAIR Research Integrity Officer (RIO) or to the WRAIR REI team at us.army.detrick.medcom-wrair.mbx.rei@mail.mil. (Personal contact information for the WRAIR RIO can be found in the WRAIR Personnel REI Group.) Research misconduct concerns are handled confidentially.

DISCLAIMER: The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has reviewed this material and there is no objection to its presentation or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the authors’ private views and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Defense Health Agency, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.