Research Integrity & Authorship

WashU is committed to the ethical and responsible conduct of research by all members of its research community. The Research Integrity Policy defines research misconduct as:

  • Fabrication (making up data or results), falsification (manipulating materials, equipment, or processes; changing or omitting data resulting in the research not being accurately represented) or plagiarism (using another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit) in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results; or
  • Knowingly violating federal and institutional rules and regulations governing the conduct of research involving human research participants that are serious or continuing; or
  • Violations of the WashU’s Authorship Policy, including granting or denying authorship inappropriately.

Any member of the WashU research community has an obligation to report observed instances of research misconduct. 

  • If you are unsure if an activity rises to the level of research misconduct, contact the Office of Research Integrity & Ethics (ORIE) at ORIE@wustl.edu to discuss your concerns confidentially.
  • There are protections from retaliation and rights and responsibilities for individuals participating in research misconduct proceedings.
  • All allegations of research misconduct are evaluated. If the allegation warrants further review or investigation, the university’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO) oversees this process.

Authorship

WashU’s Authorship Policy provides three authorship criteria. Individuals should meet all three to be considered an author. These criteria align with many other universities and journal authorship guidelines.

All authors should contribute significantly to the conception, design, execution, and/or the analysis and interpretation of data

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All authors should participate in drafting the manuscript or reviewing and/or revising it for intellectual content

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All authors should approve the manuscript to be published

Guidance is available for how to avoid and resolve authorship disputes.

Research Integrity and Authorship Resources