What is Research Misconduct?

University policies establish standards of ethical behavior for all members of the University community and prescribe procedures for due process and discipline for deviation from those standards. The policy and procedures on Research Misconduct, attached, deal with violations of a subset of these standards and apply to prohibited conduct in proposing, carrying out and reporting research. Specifically, Research Misconduct procedures are invoked when allegations are reported of:

• Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results;
• Failure to comply with requirements for the protection of human or animal subjects

Policies and procedures for dealing with other violations of ethical standards, such as misappropriation of University or sponsor resources, intentional breach of University rules or sponsor regulations, or failure to follow financial disclosure disqualification regulations can be found in:

• Faculty Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures for the Berkeley Campus
• Academic Personnel Manual Section 015, Part II, "Professional Responsibilities, Ethical Principles, and Unacceptable Faculty Conduct"
• Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate Graduate Council's "Fairness of Authorship Credit in Collaborative Faculty-Student Publications"
• Whistleblower Policy and Whistleblower Protection Policy