Any member of King's College London who has suspects that a breach of good research practice or research misconduct may have occurred should, in the first instance, address this with their line manager or Head of Department, to seek local resolution, guidance, or support. If such action is not possible or appropriate, then you are advised to contact the Research Integrity Office directly. Upon notification of an allegation or concern, the Research Integrity Office will forward the initiator of a complaint a copy of the Proforma for Reporting Allegation(s) of Research Misconduct. This must be completed in full and accompanied by sufficient evidence to support the complaint.
The Research Integrity Office accepts that minor infractions, including honest errors, where there is no evidence of intention to deceive may occur. In such cases, it may be more appropriate to address these informally through mentoring, training, and/or guidance.
The College’s Procedure ensures the exercise of due diligence in making inquiries as to the substance and provenance of an allegation. It is important to note that the Procedure is an internal investigation process and is neither adversarial nor disciplinary (though the investigation may result in disciplinary proceedings).
Any member of the university may wish to raise concerns under the Policy on Information Disclosure (Whistleblowing), where appropriate. Where matters of research misconduct are raised this way, they will be referred to the Research Integrity Office to be handled under the research misconduct procedure.