Overview 

The University of Virginia fosters a culture of integrity and trust in which research occurs. We aim to instill an appreciation of research integrity and ethics in every individual involved in research. We promote research integrity and ethics in many ways, including our vital efforts related to responsible conduct of research programming and research misconduct.

Questions about any aspect of research integrity and ethics may be directed to Kristen Schwendinger, Director of Research Integrity and Ethics. 

 

Ethical scholarship often involves careful consideration and discussion of authorship, potential use of tools like iThenticate, and understanding of citation standards and plagiarism.

To learn more, visit Scholarship: Authorship, iThenticate Plagiarism.

Do not hesitate to reach out to our office confidentially discuss any concerns or to use the Compliance Helpline to submit what you believe, in good faith, to be a research misconduct complaint. All allegations of misconduct are promptly reviewed in accordance with UVA policy.

For more information about this policy, reporting procedures and the investigation process, visit Research Misconduct Process.

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program supports schools and researchers to train in the application of best practices in the proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results regardless of the scientific or scholarly discipline. 

To learn more about this program, training resources and other best practices, visit the Responsible Conduct of Research webpage. 

Ethics at UVA

The Office of the Vice President for Research aims to:

  1. Support responsible conduct of research and related programs in accordance with national and international research standards and principles.
  2. Provide technical assistance or consultations to individuals and labs/units regarding research integrity and ethics.
  3. Provide guidance in establishing, monitoring, and maintaining high ethical standards in conducting research to all schools, institutes, and centers for research at UVA.

The University of Virginia is committed to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and lawful conduct.  Part of the foundation of research integrity at UVA includes:

The AAUP Statement on Professional Ethics, subscribed to by UVA

Code of Conduct

The Honor Committee

The Institute for Practical Ethics

The Center for Health Humanities and Ethics

Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science

Bioethics, Health Society and Ethics Program

Strategy, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship