Research Integrity Statement 2026

1. Section 1: Key contact information
2. Section 2: Promoting high standards of research integrity and positive research culture. Description of actions and activities undertaken
3. Section 3: Addressing research misconduct

Section 1: Key contact information

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Section 2: Promoting high standards of research integrity and positive research culture. Description of actions and activities undertaken

2A. Description of current systems and culture

Policies and systems

Aligned with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, the OU Research Code of Practice sets out The Open University's (OU) research integrity framework, the standards that govern research and the responsibilities of the University, its researchers and those who manage and support research. It is underpinned by a suite of research policies, processes and guidance. Research policies are reviewed triennially or more often if necessary. 

The Human Research Ethics Committee and the Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) review research projects involving humans and non-human animals and advise on conducting research according to the highest ethical standards. The Ethical Research Review Committee oversees research and research-related activity which could pose ethical risks beyond those of human participant and animal research. Review of Human Research Ethics applications is managed securely via an online platform.

Processes for Data Protection approval, health and safety risk assessments for laboratory, fieldwork and travel, oversight of data management for all research projects, due diligence frameworks for research funders and collaborators are in place. The Awards Management System provides the framework for funded project approval and compliance.

Communications and engagement

The OU research integrity framework, research integrity contacts, research policies, guidance, governance, induction, training information are publicised to the OU research community and external stakeholders on the OU research website. The UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and its resources are clearly signposted. Aligned academic unit research integrity web pages provide local information.

Academic, research, research support staff and postgraduate research students (PGRs) receive regular notification of UKRIO resources, information and training opportunities, as well as bulletins from the OU Research Committee and the Research Degrees Committee advising on internal policy and governance matters. Significant policy launches and changes, support structure and system changes are publicised on the ‘News’ section of the OU staff homepage. Graduate School channels (email cascade, social media, webpages) share relevant updates with PGRs and supervisors.

The OU expects all aforementioned internal stakeholders to receive a briefing about research integrity at induction.

The Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students stipulates that supervisors are responsible for ensuring PGRs are made aware of the research integrity and ethics expectations. This message is reinforced in supervisor training.

Supervisor training as well as training on research integrity principles, and research ethics workshops are delivered to staff and PGRs through the Researcher Development Programme. Ad-hoc research integrity and ethics training is delivered to groups, upon request as resources allow. The Library provides training and support with open access publication, research data management and copyright. Research and Enterprise provides training in intellectual property and other relevant topics.

On-line training modules on Professional Conduct (including research integrity, ethics, plagiarism avoidance, diversity), are available to PGRs through the Graduate School Network. On-line guidance and training on open research is available to all staff and PGRs.

Academic units deliver local generic and discipline specific research training, and host research events featuring research good practice and research integrity.  They provide evidence of this annually to Research Committee.

Culture, development and leadership

The OU’s Learn and Live Strategy (2022-2027), contains an explicit commitment to research integrity (p7), mirrored in the Research Plan (2022-2027) (p8). The Research Plan also sets out a commitment to leadership in Open Research, and to developing the next generation of researchers equitably, which will enhance the broader research culture. All academic units included an explicit commitment to research integrity principles in their unit plans for 2024/25 and/or their local research plans.

The OU is committed to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (2019) and is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), and is implementing published action plans towards alignment. These significant commitments are aimed at enhancing the institutional research environment by improving research training provision and taking a holistic approach to assessing research quality in recruitment, retention, reward, promotion and training. The intention is to mitigate systemic pressures that potentially disincentivise good research conduct and practice.

The biannual Research Excellence Awards recognise and reward staff and PGRs making outstanding contributions to the research culture at The Open University. The latest awards in 2024 celebrated excellence in researcher leadership, collaboration and Open Research practice. Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability were cross cutting criteria across all awards.

Monitoring and reporting

Faculty Research Committees oversee Faculty research environments for staff and PGRs, reporting to OU Research Degrees Committee and OU Research Committee. Research Committee monitors progress against the Research Integrity action plan, the DORA action plan and the Researcher Career Development Concordat action plan, and progress towards implementation of the Research Plan. It oversees the OU’s research integrity framework and research policy development.

Research Committee receives annual research integrity reports from academic units in which they confirm research integrity induction has taken place for all new staff, the research integrity information available on their respective websites, local mechanisms for overseeing research integrity, local actions and events to support a research culture based on research integrity and information about the number of basic or minor research integrity concerns reported and resolved in the academic unit. As well as a monitoring exercise, this presents an opportunity for academic units to share good practice.

2B. Changes and developments during the period under review

Significant developments in Open Research continued over the reporting period. The Open University delivered an Open Research Week in March 2025, showcasing examples of open practices across many disciplines to participants from the OU and across the sector. Simultaneously, an Open Research online training module was developed and released by the OU, open to researchers sector wide. We have embedded Open Research criteria into our Open Societal Challenges programme. We have appointed a local network lead for the UK Reproducibility Network.

An online research integrity module was launched for PGRs in Autumn 2024.

During the review period the Animal Ethics Committee came into being to replace the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body. Although research falling under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) no longer takes place on University premises, the AEC reviews non-ASPA research involving animals and maintains an overview of any ASPA related research being undertaken by OU researchers in collaboration with partner institutions.

The University became a signatory to the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. Over the reporting period University wide policy, guidance and resources on environmental sustainability, on academic freedom, and on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continued to be developed and published.

The Ethical Research Statement, the Research Centres and Networks Framework and their oversight processes have been reviewed. The Research Data Management Policy has been revised, published and implemented. It includes the new requirement that all research projects upload a data management plan to the Open Research Online repository prior to data collection. A Research Publication Policy has been approved in principle.

The research lead has drawn up Open University guidelines for Building Equitable Partnerships based on her research project Building Equitable African Partnerships.

A wide-ranging internal consultation on revisions to the OU Research Code of Practice has been undertaken in 2025. Proposed revisions ensure the document aligns with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2025), the revised UKRIO Code of Practice for Research, its AI, and authorship guidance, as well as signposting internal expectations relating to Trusted Research, and all the other aforementioned significant internal policy developments.

Three further significant projects have been underway over the reporting period. The first has developed university-wide Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) processes and guidance, with associated resources for OU staff, PGRs, and the public modelled on examples of best practice across the sector. Ethics review processes for PPIE and for research impact have been developed concurrently.

The second project seeks to support our researchers by creating a curated shared on-line space for research policies, guidance, agreed processes and procedures.

Thirdly, a tiered approach to research processes and services for our researchers has been developed, aimed at providing appropriate and proportionate support, review, challenge, and management of risk, based on size or complexity of project, and/or career stage. 

2C. Reflections on progress and plans for future developments

The well received Open Research events, guidance and training have enabled our researchers and those outside the OU to learn more about open research practices. When the Research Publications Policy (which includes a new author rights retention policy) is implemented over the forthcoming period this will further enhance open research infrastructure and practice at the OU. Embedding open research criteria into the Open Societal Challenges programme has served to encourage wider adoption of open research practices across the research community.

The availability of integrity and ethics training in online format for PGRs, utilising OU expertise in online education, extends the accessibility of research integrity training.

The revised OU Research Code of Practice (formally approved in November 2025) sets expectations for the conduct of research at the OU and helps researchers to navigate the complex web of legislation, policies and processes that apply to their research. Wide consultation with internal stakeholders sought to ensure the document captured all relevant information, raised awareness and anticipation of the revised document.

The detailed planning and curation of the shared online space for research policies and related processes and guidance, like the OU Research Code of Practice, will ensure that researchers are able to more easily navigate requirements for research.

Similarly the extensive preparatory work that has gone into the new tiered service design for research support will provide consistency of service across the University. It is anticipated that the new services and resources will be launched in a staged way over the forthcoming period.

Carefully prepared PPIE processes including ethics processes, and ethics for research impact activities will be launched, ensuring that researchers are equipped to undertake such activities with ethical sensitivity, engaging with ethics review where appropriate.

The first formal meeting of the Animal Ethics Committee was held in November 2025 and work will continue to develop and embed policy, processes and communications in this area.

Work will commence to adapt the PGR online research integrity module for staff. We will map our research integrity framework against the new Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2025) and put in place a new action plan to further enhance our support for research integrity at The Open University.
 

2D. Case study on good practice (optional)

The Open Research online training course

Not applicable.

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Section 3: Addressing research misconduct

3A. Statement on processes that the organisation has in place for dealing with allegations of misconduct

Description of OU frame work for dealing with research misconduct allegations

When breaches of the OU Research Code of Practice are alleged against staff and other researchers undertaking research on behalf of the OU, the updated Procedure for the Investigation of Research Misconduct Allegations applies. The Procedure is reviewed triennially and is next due for review in November 2026. The Postgraduate Research Student Plagiarism and Research Misconduct Policy sets out definitions, training expectations, investigation procedures and proportionate academic penalties tailored for such researchers.

The Whistle-blowing policy provides an alternative route for raising concerns, and names third-parties as confidential liaison points. 

The Research Code of Practice and the staff and student research misconduct procedures stipulate that pressurising another member of the research team to act contrary to the Research Code of Practice is a form of bullying and harassment and is considered unacceptable and allegations will be dealt with through the Bullying and Harassment Policy (staff) or the Dignity and Respect Policy (PGRs). If after an investigation under these policies an allegation is upheld against an individual involved in research activity funded by an external funding body, the University will notify the funding body of the investigation and the outcome in cases where this is required by the terms and conditions of the funding body.

Creating a culture where stakeholders feel comfortable to report

The OU Research Code of Practice and the Procedure for the Investigation of Research Misconduct Allegations clearly state that those raising concerns will not be penalised provided the allegation is made in good faith, and provision is made to support initiators of allegations within the Procedure. The text in the forthcoming revised OU Research Code of Practice is being amended to reflect the importance of addressing questionable research practice as well as research misconduct, encourages researchers to initiate dialogue with their fellow researchers about questionable research practice, and explains more clearly how to broach and address any issues locally to support research integrity principles. These policies are the focus of research integrity induction and training, where such messages are reinforced.

The OU Research Code of Practice, the OU research integrity web pages, and regular emails from the governance team promoting research integrity training and guidance from UKRIO provide contact details for central OU advice and support. Faculty web pages all contain contact details of those in the faculty who can be contacted for advice about good research practice, and to raise concerns about research conduct.

Over the reporting period, academic units report resolving one concern about questionable research practice locally. The central OU research governance office provided advice on the aforementioned case plus three authorship disputes and one concern about potential plagiarism.

Key lessons learned

As a result of one allegation triaged under the ‘Receipt of Allegations Stage’ of the Procedure in the 2023-24 reporting period, that was subsequently dealt with under ‘Informal Measures’ the OU Research Code of Practice text is being amended to clarify the requirement for full citation of all sources (published and unpublished) a researcher has used in supporting the arguments and outputs associated with a publication.

3B. Information on investigations of research misconduct that have been undertaken

Number of formal investigations completed during the period under review

*If you listed any allegations under the ‘Other’ category, please give a brief, high-level summary of their type here. Do not give any identifying or confidential information when responding.

Not applicable.

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