Amid a steady rise in research misconduct allegations over the past decade, the Department of Human Health and Services last week updated its guidance on how universities and other institutions investigate claims. It’s a move that experts say is a step in the right direction — though many warn that more systemic change is needed to address mounting concerns over data manipulation and other issues in the sciences.
The new guidance will affect nearly 6,000 universities and other institutions with projects funded by HHS, which have until 2026 to comply. The goal is to help institutions “handle these allegations efficiently and fairly and assure those people that are making allegations know the process we’re going to follow,” Sheila Garrity, director of the HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI), told STAT.
Among the noteworthy updates to the final rules are clarifying both the process to appeal a decision made by the ORI and how institutions can deem certain instances the result of an “honest mistake.”
