The table below shows the number of allegations of non-compliance with research policies received by SSHRC received between April 2006 and March 2010. There were seven allegations in total; the majority were submitted by individuals and peer reviewers.
| |
|
|
Type of Allegations Pursued |
Results |
| Fiscal Year |
Total Allegations Received |
Allegations Not Pursued |
Integrity in Research
and Scholarship |
Other |
Misconduct
Found |
No Misconduct
Found |
Pending |
| 2009-10 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 2008-09 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 2007-08 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006-07 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| TOTAL |
7 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
Types of Allegations
None of the cases submitted to SSHRC since April 2006 fell outside of SSHRC’s mandate. Of the seven allegations submitted:
- four related to matters associated with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship, such as plagiarism, falsification of research results, and fraudulent data;
- two related to matters associated with tri-agency guidelines found in the Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards and SSHRC policies, such as lack of adherence to application guidelines or lack of adherence to the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide; and
- one was not pursued.*
* Reasons for not pursing a case can stem from insufficient information to proceed, the allegation being withdrawn, the allegation being based on an anonymous source (SSHRC does not pursue anonymous allegations related to integrity in research and scholarship unless the institution’s policy allows for anonymous allegations), and/or allegations not being within the purview of SSHRC’s mandate.
Actions Taken by SSHRC
Of the six allegations pursued by SSHRC since April 2006, SSHRC referred all six to the researchers’ institutions for investigation.
Results of Institutional Investigations
Of the six allegations referred to the researcher’s institution for investigation:
- four were determined to be unfounded (i.e., there were no findings of non-compliance with research policies) and no sanctions were imposed;
- one resulted in a finding of scholarly misconduct; and
- one is still pending.
Examples of possible SSHRC actions against proven cases of allegations of non-compliance could include:
- a letter of reprimand and/or a requirement to reimburse funds;
- a ban imposed on the applicant, beneficiary or institution from participating in peer-review committees; and/or
- a ban from applying for SSHRC funding for a period of time or indefinitely.