Overview of the University’s Research Misconduct Evaluation Process
The University of Texas at Austin is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in all practices of proposing, conducting and reporting research. Compromises to these standards damage the reputation of the research community and may constitute research misconduct.
Research misconduct includes:
- Fabrication
- Falsification
- Plagiarism
Research misconduct does not include:
- Ordinary errors
- Good faith differences in interpretations or judgments of data
- Scholarly or political disagreements
- Good faith personal or professional opinions
- Private moral or ethical behavior or views
- Authorship disputes
Any individual with a reasonable suspicion that research misconduct has occurred at the University is encouraged to report their concern to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO). The RIO is the appointed official responsible for addressing all allegations of research misconduct in accordance with the University’s policy. Please note that UT-Austin’s research misconduct evaluation process is consistent with the U.S. Public Health Service regulations.
Any questions about this process may be directed to the RIO, Dr. Mary Steinhardt, at (512) 471-2877 or by email at rio@austin.utexas.edu.
