Whether you are a student, staff member, faculty member, Chair or Dean, you have both a right and a responsibility to report any instances of irresponsible conduct of research you uncover using the process described in the integrity in research administrative guidelines or Article 14 of the faculty memorandum of agreement, whichever applies to the person(s) involved.
However, before reporting the allegation, you should ensure that this allegation would likely be considered to be an irresponsible conduct of research and not another form of academic misconduct or a more general performance issue as described above in questions. To learn more, see the list of specific breaches to understand if they apply to your situation.
Making a complaint
To make a formal complaint, please submit the allegation form via e-mail to Ian Milligan, Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Analysis, 519-888-4567, ext. 42775. You may also direct any informal inquiries or questions to this office.
What should a complaint include?
Although not an exhaustive list, the following items should be included in any formal complaint of irresponsible conduct of research made to the Office of Research.
Sample Statement of Complaint of Irresponsible Conduct of Research
- What is the nature of the alleged irresponsible conduct of research offense (e.g., plagiarism, falsification of data, mismanagement of funds)?
- If this allegation involves published works, include specific citations.
- Who raised the issue? Did you receive this in writing? Was it anonymous?
- If anonymous, what attempts have been made to determine the identity of the accuser?
- If activities have occurred over a period of time, include a timeline or chronology of events.
- In what manner was this allegation first brought to your attention (e.g., e-mail, retraction watch, verbal conversation)? When did this occur?
- Do you have any concerns regarding the classification of this as irresponsible conduct of research?
- Who has been told about the alleged breach so far?
- Does it involve any external funding agencies (e.g., Tri-agency, NIH, industry sponsor)?
- Does it involve any significant financial, health, safety or other risks?