Examples of services for UKRIO subscribers
UKRIO has amassed significant and unique expertise as the only dedicated research integrity organisation in the UK. We promote and support good research practice and related fields such as research ethics, research governance, integrity in research design and collaborative research, and good practice in publication and authorship. We help address mistakes and allegations of fraud and misconduct.
We cover all research disciplines, from the arts and humanities to health and biomedicine. UKRIO does not provide a ‘one-size-fits-all’ service to our subscribers. Instead we tailor our activities to meet their particular needs. To illustrate how this tailored service might work for you, here are some examples from the institutions which have already committed to support UKRIO.
Advisory and support services
- Promoting a culture of research integrity. Our activities in this area, aligning with the requirements of The Concordat to Support Research Integrity, include leading awareness-raising sessions, assisting with the creation or revision of systems for research governance, management and ethics, and providing advice and support on how to embed a culture of research integrity with an institution.
- Advice on research practice for staff and research students, drawing upon the experience of our expert Advisers. Some institutions are seeking specific help relating to particular research projects or challenging areas of research practice, particularly in relation to multidisciplinary research and collaborations with other organisations in the UK and abroad.
- Help with addressing and preventing research misconduct, whether expert assistance with investigations of alleged misconduct or in general terms regarding systems for addressing concerns.
- Education and training in good research practice: UKRIO has a great deal of experience in this area, ranging from designing course content to help with its delivery.
Most subscribers have a mixture of these needs and we respond accordingly. We also undertake more general activities which are of use to all subscribers, such as producing guidance notes on specific issues and problems; sharing case studies on research conduct; access to our expert Advisers to answer queries on research practice; or using our unique experience, expertise and data to inform the development of national and international research integrity initiatives, helping to ensure the promotion of high quality research while speaking out against restrictive or bureaucratic systems.
Implementation of The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
UKRIO is a supporter of The Concordat, seeing it as an important step in the journey towards improving research integrity and enhancing the UK’s world-class reputation for conducting exceptional research.
In 2019 the Concordat was revised with the assistance of UKRIO. It cites us as a key source of advice on research integrity and we are working with the Signatories Group to explore how they can best support its rollout and implementation.
UKRIO will continue its extensive programme of work to support the UK research community in meeting the requirements of the Concordat, working with our subscribers to revise and improve their systems and practices. An updated version of our Self-Assessment Tool, which helps institutions implement the Concordat, will be published shortly.
Online training
We are collaborating with a major UK university to create an online research integrity training course for staff and research students, with modules on introduction to research integrity and research integrity in practice. Once this has been piloted at the relevant university, it will be made available to our subscribers.
Though progress has been delayed due to the impact of the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, we envisage that course development should be completed in the next few months, with rollout soon after that.
Current work
In response to the ongoing pandemic, UKRIO has moved to a model of providing support through virtual means rather than in person. It is ‘business as usual’ for the charity and all of our normal services and activities are available.
We have also started new workstreams in response to these unusual circumstances, such as monthly webinars on research integrity topics and developments; virtual training for research ethics committees; and virtual roundtables for our subscribers to discuss the issues that matter to them.
Following publication of our standard operating procedures for research ethics committees and a recommended checklist for research undertaken during pandemic situations, we will be publishing: a second edition of our self-assessment tool for the concordat, including guidance on the institutional research integrity statements which the Concordat mandates; and a new version of our research misconduct investigation procedure, aligning with developments from UK Research & Innovation and other funders; and other publications.
As recommended by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, we are working with UK Research & Innovation as it begins to establish the proposed oversight body for investigations of research misconduct. UKRIO’s activities and those of the new body will complement each other, with UKRIO’s focus remaining on promoting good research practice and providing practical and proportionate advice and support for researchers, research students and employers.
Further information
A PDF summary of this page is available here: Examples of the services for UKRIO subscribers
We welcome enquiries from any type of research organisation: universities, NHS organisations, independent research institutes, private sector research institutions, charities and learned societies, and we also have associate members from outside the UK. If you would like to subscribe to UKRIO or request further information, please contact us.