Introduction to the Concordat to Support Research Integrity

Introduction 

This guide aims to provide introductory information on the Concordat to Support Research Integrity to those not familiar with it. It should be of use to researchers, research integrity officers, research culture professionals and other research-supporting staff. It will also be of use to those who are considering raising concerns relating to research integrity with a research organisation.   

The UK Concordat to Support Research Integrity can be found here.  

It was first developed in 2012 by a group of national funding bodies and university mission groups and was revised in 2019 following the recommendations of a parliamentary Select Committee on research integrity. It was most recently revised in 2025 to ensure it remains current in an ever-evolving research landscape.

  • As stated on its website, organisations have until April 2026 to adhere to the expectations of the 2025 Concordat. In the meantime, they should continue to comply with the 2019 edition.
  • To find out what the new requirements are, and what has stayed the same, read UKRIO’s briefing note here.
Concordat scope and aims 

The Concordat is the UK’s governing document on research integrity, including requirements on specific aspects of research integrity such as research culture, research ethics and governance of research projects. It is a ‘framework by which the UK research community, and those collaborating with them, can support the trustworthiness of UK research’. 

It is applicable to all types of research in the UK and all sectors where research is carried out, containing principles for research integrity and responsibilities which must be fulfilled by researchers and research-enabling staff (collectively referred to as ‘the research community’ in the text), research organisations (referred to as ‘employers’) and funders of research projects.

  • Though the term ‘employer’ is used, the Concordat does apply to universities and enrolled research students, who are not employees, as well as to employed researchers. While it does not set out responsibilities for publishers of research outputs or other types of organisations involved in research, the principles and responsibilities are still relevant to them, indeed to all actors in the research landscape.

The Concordat is a pan-disciplinary document, covering all areas of research from the arts and humanities to health and biomedicine. It is not intended to take the place of detailed, discipline-specific guidance but instead provides overarching principles and responsibilities for the entire disciplinary spectrum.

Responsibilities 

The Concordat sets out responsibilities for researchers, research-enabling staff, research organisations and funders in five areas: 

  1. Maintaining the highest standards of research integrity – the principles
    • This commitment includes the UK’s definition of research integrity, in the form of five principles: Honesty, Rigour, Transparency and open communication, Care and respect, and Accountability.
  2. Maintaining the highest standards of research integrity – expectations and compliance
  3. Embedding a culture of research integrity
  4. Questionable research practices and potential research misconduct
  5. Accountability and continuous improvement in research integrity
Accountability

The Concordat is not statutory or regulatory guidance. Implementation of the Concordat, and accountability in relation to its principles and responsibilities, is driven by two contractual means:

  • For individuals, alignment with the Concordat may be a condition of employment or enrollment as a research student – requiring the individual to adhere to the Concordat’s principles and responsibilities and/or to organisational guidance that embodies those principles and responsibilities.
  • For organisations, terms and conditions of funding from research funders will require implementation of, and adherence to, the Concordat’s principles and responsibilities, as well as to funder-specific guidance that is in alignment with the Concordat. Alignment with the Concordat can also be a requirement in contracts relating to collaborations with another research organisation. Finally, research organisations must publish annual research integrity statements and make these publicly available.
  • Unlike researchers, research-supporting staff, and organisations, research funders have no such contractual or external oversight and are only required to self-report, through the medium of publishing publicly-available annual research integrity statements.

Not all funders require implementation of, and adherence to, the Concordat as part of their contractual terms, so the Concordat has not seen universal uptake across all sectors of UK research, though UKRIO strongly endorses this approach. Organisations and individuals are therefore strongly advised to check the requirements of all funders that support their research activities.

Support for the implementation of the Concordat

Like all guidance on research practice and culture, the Concordat cannot be effective on its own. It needs to be implemented by research organisations, with its Commitments being embedded in organisational polices, systems and behaviours, supported by appropriate awareness-raising, training, resourcing and strategic leadership. While implementation is a condition of grant from many, but not all, research funders, the aim must not be simply to comply with the funding terms and conditions but to use the Concordat to safeguard and enhance research integrity at the institution.

The Concordat is sensibly designed to allow for autonomy in how it is put into practice, recognising the variability of the research environments to which it applies. However, this leaves organisations with a challenge: how best to translate the high-level Commitments of the Concordat into the everyday practicalities of carrying out and supporting research. UKRIO has provided practical advice and support to the research community on this topic since the Concordat was first published in 2012.

We have identified five themes that cut across all five Commitments of the Concordat:

  • Policies and systems
  • Communication
  • Culture, development and leadership
  • Addressing breaches of research integrity
  • Monitoring and reporting

Through our unique Self-Assessment Tool and other services – events, training and development activities, Advisory Service and more –  we help researchers, research-enabling staff and organisations embed the Concordat in practices, policies systems, behaviours and culture, including but not limited to compliance with funder requirements.

Now that the 2025 edition of the Concordat has been released, we are undertaking a full revision of the Self-Assessment Tool and our other Concordat-related outputs and services. This updated guide note is part of UKRIO’s proactive support for implementing the new Concordat. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep updated.

Responsibilities relating to research misconduct and questionable research practices (QRPs)

You may also find UKRIO’s Short Guide to Research Misconduct of interest.

The Concordat states that ‘the quality of the research environment and robustness of the research record also depend on the effective management of questionable research practices when they occur. This requires a commitment to continuous reflection, learning, and improvement to support the research system to drive positive change…. Improving the understanding and management of questionable research practices, and the handling of allegations of research misconduct, are necessary to safeguard research.’ 

Research misconduct is defined as: ‘the behaviours and deliberate actions that fall short of the principles in Commitment 1 of the Concordat, occurring at any point in the research lifecycle. This includes behaviours associated with the ideation of research proposals, reviewing the work of others, and the reporting of research findings.’ 

  • The detailed definition of research misconduct in the 2025 edition of the Concordat remains the same as that in the 2019 edition.

Questionable research practices are defined as: ‘minor infractions or research practices, including avoidable errors, which fall short of the definition of intentional research misconduct. They may arise due to a lack of knowledge or attention to detail, negligence, or deliberate action, and may occur where there is no evident intention to deceive.’

The Concordat states that employers of researchers are responsible for: 

  • Publishing policies related to questionable research practices and research misconduct that are accessible to the research community and that include a confidential reporting mechanism through a named point of contact.
  • Maintaining fair and transparent processes, managing conflicts of interest, using external advisers where needed, and offering appeals processes.
  • Preparing and, when necessary, providing training for those running investigations and serving as panellists.
  • Ensuring investigations are completed in a timely manner, bearing in mind the need to support all parties involved.
  • Documenting the process, acting on the outcomes, and, where concerns are upheld, ensuring appropriate action is taken, avoiding the use of non-disclosure agreements.
  • Providing information to third parties as required under any formal agreements, such as with research funders or statutory bodies.
  • Taking reasonable steps to protect all parties involved from undue pressure, victimisation, or unwarranted negative consequences.
  • Publishing up to date information on their organisation’s website including:
    • Named senior role(s) responsible for oversight of research integrity.
    • First point of contact(s) for research integrity matters.

Individuals also have responsibilities under the Concordat. This is important to note when raising any matters, or for those who are the subject of any investigation.  

Researchers and research-supporting staff are responsible for:

  • Honesty when reporting any concerns about potential breaches of integrity and declaring conflicts of interest.
  • Supporting and participating in any investigation, its management and implementation of any recommendations, as required.
Appeals

The Concordat mandates that research organisations must offer appeals processes as part of their processes for the investigation of questionable research practices and research misconduct. Like their investigation processes, such appeals will be overseen by the organisation in question. Research organisations are autonomous and there is no direct form of external appeal or reporting if an individual considers an institution to be in breach of the Concordat, though we note that the Concordat states:

‘In the event of misconduct, funders may examine the systems and processes of research organisations to help identify and act on issues earlier. In serious cases funders may consider mandatory improvements and, if these improvements are not made, sanctions. Funders will consider the impact of such actions on other researchers and specialists involved in the specific project.’

If an initiator or respondent is not happy with the outcome of an investigation by a research organisation, there is not normally any specific recourse to an ombudsperson or other organisation beyond the organisation once the organisation’s processes, including appeals, public interest disclosure/whistleblowing, and grievance/complaints procedures, have been exhausted. Where relevant, individuals may be able to contact the funder of any grant involved in the matter raised or a publisher or journal. 

 

Written by Nicola Sainsbury, Research Integrity Manager, and James Parry, Chief Innovation Officer, UKRIO.

January 2023, revised 4 April 2025