What is Essential
Federal regulations define research misconduct as plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification of research data. It is the responsibility of individual institutions, including Harvard, to prevent and detect its occurrence.
Policy Contacts
Matthew Fox, J.D.
Senior Research Compliance Officer
How to Comply
Harvard has adopted an Interim Policy and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct. Several schools have implemented school-specific procedures (see below), consistent with the terms of the University policy.
Why it’s Important
Integrity in all scholarship is a foundational principle that underlies Harvard’s core mission to discover, transmit and apply new knowledge for the benefit of society.
In recent decades, the federal agencies that fund scientific research have promoted research integrity under the rubric of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), which parses research integrity into specific activities ranging from authorship to data sharing to behaviors defined by the federal government as research misconduct.
Although the federal government mandates research integrity policies for activities it funds, it is the responsibility of individual institutions to prevent and detect its occurrence. At Harvard, each school creates, implements, and enforces its own research integrity and misconduct policies, consistent with federal requirements. For school-based information regarding research integrity, please refer to the materials collected on the Resources page.
School Resources
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Research Integrity page at FAS Research Administration Services
- Research Integrity Resources
- Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Misconduct in Research
Graduate School of Design
Harvard Medical School
Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard Kennedy School
- Faculty Handbook (pdf)
Harvard Business School
Report Non-Compliance
If you observe or suspect apparent research misconduct, you should report it to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) for your school or unit. If you are not sure whether the behavior in question constitutes research misconduct – defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reporting research – you may discuss it with the RIO, who can help you to determine the appropriate venue in which to address it.
Every member of the University community has a duty to act when the learn about situations where University policies (including research misconduct among others) or legal obligations are being violated, and the University has a complementary duty to protect the rights of those who come forward. Depending on the nature of the concern you have about possible non-compliance, there are many options available to assist you in deciding what action to take.
As noted above, if your concerns relate to research misconduct, you should discuss them with the RIO for your school or unit. For other matters, if you choose not to share your concerns with a supervisor or other person of authority in the unit where you work, the University Ombuds provides guidance about a broad range of issues, including many that fall in the category of non-compliance. There is also an anonymous Compliance Hotline that can be reached by telephone or by completing an online form. Finally, the University’s Chief Research Compliance Officer, Ara Tahmassian, can be consulted on all areas of research misconduct.
Relevant Contacts
| Title/School | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| University Chief Research Compliance Officer, OVPR | Ara Tahmassian | ara_tahmassian@harvard.edu |
| Harvard Ombuds Office | ombuds_cambridge@harvard.edu; Website | |
| Director of Research Integrity, FAS & SEAS | Stacey Springs | stacey_springs@fas.harvard.edu |
| Department Chairs, GSD | Architecture: 617-495-2591 Landscape Architecture: 617-495-2573 Urban Planning and Design: 617-495-9571 | |
| Senior Director of Research Administration, GSE | Tiffany Blackman | tiffany_blackman@harvard.edu |
| Research Integrity Officer, HBS | Alain Bonacossa | abonacossa@hbs.edu |
| Assistant Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, HDS | Karin Grundler-Whitacre | kgwhitacre@hds.harvard.edu |
| Associate Dean for Research, HKS | Matt Alper | matthew_alper@hks.harvard.edu |
| Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs, HLS | Catherine Claypoole | claypool@law.harvard.edu |
| Office for Academic and Research Integrity, HMS | ARI@hms.harvard.edu | |
| Associate Dean for Regulatory Affairs & Research Compliance, SPH | Delia Wolf Christiani | dwchristiani@hsph.harvard.edu |
Training: Research Integrity Training