"Introduction
The UK Research Integrity Office’s (UKRIO’s) Code of Practice for Research (the Code) has been designed to encourage good conduct in research and help prevent breaches of research integrity such as mistakes, questionable research practices (QRPs), and misconduct. It serves to help organisations and researchers conduct research of the highest quality and sustain a healthy research culture. It provides general principles and standards for good practice in research, applying both to individual researchers and to organisations that carry out, fund, host, or are otherwise involved in research. The Code applies to all subject areas and does not attempt to micromanage research. Recognising that many forms of guidance already exist, our intention is that research organisations may use the principles and standards outlined in this Code as benchmarks when drafting or revising their own, more detailed, codes of practice. No single publication can expect to cover the nuances of all types of research in all disciplines; therefore, the Code should not be seen as prescriptive but as a set of guiding principles and standards to inform the management and conduct of research. The Code covers areas of good practice typically included in organisational policies for the conduct of research, drawing upon existing good practices and UKRIO’s experiences in supporting good research conduct and addressing breaches of research integrity. Detailed guidance is given on core standards for good practice in research, but particular attention has been paid to areas where UKRIO has most often been approached for guidance, in the hope of passing on lessons learned to the research community.
The Code complements existing guidance on research conduct, including The Concordat to Support Research Integrity and materials from regulators, learned societies, research funders, publishers, and others. Similarly, the Code complements organisational policies – such as those for health and safety, raising concerns at work, management of finances or intellectual property, and freedom of speech – and it does not seek to replace them. Using the benchmarks in this Code can help research organisations to fulfil the requirements of regulatory, funding, and other relevant bodies, and ensure that important issues are not overlooked. Although the Code has been devised by drawing on the UK’s systems for research, it is also relevant to researchers and organisations in other countries. When used by persons or institutions outside the UK, the Code’s content must be adapted or revised as needed to reflect any legal or regulatory frameworks of the country or countries in question. UKRIO recognises that there are many organisations which issue guidance on the conduct of research to the UK research community. UKRIO works with a wide variety of organisations aiming to streamline guidance on good practice in research, to ensure clarity for the research community and avoid duplication of effort."