Ireland's National Research Integrity Forum (NRIF) Statement on Research Integrity

The National Research Integrity Forum have released a 2024 revision of the National Policy Statement on Research Integrity. 

This Policy Statement commits Irish research organisations to uphold high integrity standards in conducting and sharing research, ensuring partners, the public, and the international community can have confidence in the outputs. It also guides knowledge users, the health system, industry, and the broader research community in maintaining integrity while conducting or utilising research evidence.

This revision aligns the Policy Statement with international norms and best practices in research integrity, reflects national developments, and keeps it relevant for your organisation. 

The revision process included extensive feedback from Forum member institutions, prompting some important changes. 

• The ‘Irish research community’ has been expanded to include the charity sector and PPI actors. 
• The crucial contribution of mentors in shaping ‘responsible’ research practices is highlighted, along with the need for training in this domain.  
• Initiatives to expand the outputs employed for evaluating research and researchers, such as membership in CoARA, are recognised.
• Expanded training and education modules on codes, frameworks, regulations, contract cheating, and AI use are encouraged.
• The recommendations on authorship practices now emphasise avoiding predatory journals and paper mills, ensuring fair credit for contributions, and establishing collaborative agreements to prevent authorship disputes.
• Table 1, regarding unacceptable research practices, is significantly expanded to include additional practices deemed unacceptable in the European Code of Conduct on Research Integrity and other sources.

The Doctoral College will strive to have these changes incorporated into institutional policies and practices related to postgraduate research, nurturing a research environment that champions integrity through education, encourages positive research practices, and helps prevent misconduct and unacceptable practices.