Submit an enquiry
Get research integrity advice and guidance from UKRIO
Use the form below to get confidential and impartial advice on research integrity, research ethics, research culture, publication ethics and related issues from UKRIO. We advise on research practice, allegations of research misconduct and other issues that have a connection to the UK. You may wish to first read more about our Advisory Service and our Advisory Community.
Individuals
Members of the public, research participants, patients, researchers and students get our research integrity advice free of charge.
Organisations
Our subscribers can use the form below to get research integrity advice or they may contact our staff using the contact details sent on subscribing.
Organisations not subscribed to UKRIO may contact us in confidence to ask for research integrity advice at no charge, but further follow-up is at our discretion. Please provide an email address, though not necessarily an institutional email.
Guidelines for seeking advice
- Independent, impartial advice. UKRIO is an independent charity, supporting the public, individual researchers and research organisations to further good practice in academic, scientific and medical research and in addressing allegations of poor practice, unethical behaviour and misconduct. We provide impartial advice on research conduct, including allegations of misconduct. We do not have regulatory powers; we advise and help enquirers. We do not have an investigatory, oversight, or adjudication role; our representatives may take part in investigations at the request of an employer, regulator or other appropriate body or person.
- Our advice is not mandatory or legal advice. Based on the information provided to us, we advise enquirers on how to proceed in the most appropriate way. This will include suggesting which body/bodies might best resolve the issue(s), perhaps an employer. Our advice is not mandatory, but reflects best practice in the conduct of research and addressing misconduct. Our guidance is not a substitute for legal advice from suitably qualified persons.
- Confidentiality. We will keep a confidential record of any requests for assistance and all subsequent discussions. No other parties will be informed without your consent, unless clear evidence of criminal activity has been presented, there is an immediate need to involve others to prevent further risk or harm to people, animals or the environment, or we are otherwise under a legal obligation to do so. We strongly recommend that enquiries are anonymised where possible, especially those from organisations. We also reserve the right to disclose details of our advice and correspondence if that advice is later misrepresented by you. Our Confidentiality Policy is available here.
- Use the form. To allow us to assess whether we can help, please complete the form below.
- Other organisations. If an enquiry is outside our remit then we may suggest other organisations which may provide advice, though this does not imply our endorsement.
- Disclaimer: All advice from UKRIO is specific to the particular enquiry under consideration, based solely on the information provided to us about that matter, and may not necessarily be applicable to similar enquiries. All advice is intended as practical advice, not legal advice. UKRIO accepts no liability for any loss or damage caused or occasioned as a result of advice given by it, its staff or volunteers. Advice given by UKRIO is not given for the purposes of court proceedings within any jurisdiction and may not be cited or relied upon for this purpose.
- Matters outside the UK: UKRIO is a UK charity and our remit is to promote good practice and high ethical standards in UK academic, scientific and medical research. Our expertise is understandably rooted in the legal, ethical and other structures under which research is conducted in the UK. As such, we may be unable to give advice on certain issues which arise in, or relate to, non-UK jurisdictions.
Data Protection Act / General Data Protection Regulation: The information on this form and any other information you submit to UKRIO may be stored on our computer records for internal data processing purposes. We will not pass this data on to third parties unless legally required to make such disclosures. We also reserve the right to disclose details of our advice and correspondence if that advice is later misrepresented by an enquirer. UKRIO is registered under the Data Protection Act (1988) and our Privacy Policy is available here.