Research integrity and governance

Research integrity is a bedrock for trust in NPL, our impartiality, probity and the rigorous accuracy and reproducibility of our research. We fully support the commitments and principles in the Concordat to support research integrity.

We aim to promote and support an organisational culture in which high standards of personal and professional conduct in research and development are expected and achieved. All staff and students must comply with our code of conduct. Research misconduct is a serious matter and will be investigated using our disciplinary procedure.

What is research misconduct?

NPL defines misconduct in research, based on the concordat, as including, but not limited to:

• fabrication: making up results, other outputs (for example, artefacts) or aspects of research, including documentation and participant consent, and presenting and/or recording them as if they were real
• falsification: inappropriately manipulating and/or selecting research processes, materials, equipment, data, imagery and/or consents
• plagiarism: using other people’s ideas, intellectual property or work (written or otherwise) without acknowledgement or permission.
• misrepresentation of:
  • data, including suppression of relevant results/data or knowingly, recklessly or by gross negligence presenting a flawed interpretation of data
  • involvement, including inappropriate claims to authorship or attribution of work and denial of authorship/attribution to persons who have made an appropriate contribution
  • interests, including failure to declare competing interests of researchers or funders of a study
  • qualifications, experience and/or credentials
  • publication history, through undisclosed duplication of publication, including undisclosed duplicate submission of manuscripts for publication
• failure to meet legal, ethical and professional obligations, for example:
  • not observing legal, ethical and other requirements for human research participants, animal subjects, or human organs or tissue used in research, or for the protection of the environment
  • breach of duty of care for humans involved in research whether deliberately, recklessly or by gross negligence, including failure to obtain appropriate informed consent
  • misuse of personal data, including inappropriate disclosures of the identity of research participants and other breaches of confidentiality
  • improper conduct in peer review of research proposals, results or manuscripts submitted for publication. This includes failure to disclose conflicts of interest; inadequate disclosure of clearly limited competence; misappropriation of the content of material; and breach of confidentiality or abuse of material provided in confidence for the purposes of peer review
• improper dealing with allegations of misconduct: failing to address possible infringements, such as attempts to cover up misconduct and reprisals against whistle-blowers, or failing to adhere appropriately to agreed procedures in the investigation of alleged research misconduct accepted as a condition of funding. Improper dealing with allegations of misconduct includes the inappropriate censoring of parties through the use of legal instruments, such as non-disclosure agreements.

Honest errors and differences in, for example, research methodology or interpretations do not constitute research misconduct.

The Office of the Chief Scientist ensure compliance with appropriate internal and external governance including quality, health, safety, security and environmental legislation minimising risk to the business and enhancing NPL’s reputation. The Office of the Chief Scientist has oversight of research strategies and policies and reviews NPL’s performance against its research aims and objectives. The Office of the Chief Scientist is comprised of:

Chief Scientist

The Chief Scientist is responsible for the Science and Engineering governance process at NPL, making sure Science and Engineering are properly represented in the laboratory, independently benchmarked for quality and reputation. The Chief Scientists is the Head of Science & Engineering Profession and is part of the Government Science and Engineering Board, chaired by the Government Chief Scientist.

Heads of Science and Metrology

The Heads of Science and Metrology support the Chief Scientist. They ensure NPL is excellent at research integrity through governance, culture and training. They support continuous improvement to ensure efficient and effective operational delivery.

Director of the Postgraduate Institute

The Director of the Postgraduate Institute (PGI) leads the development and delivery of the PGI Strategy in close partnership with NPL’s university partners. They embed the PGI as the premier UK and international centre for doctoral training in metrology and its applications.

The Research Directorate is supported by Department Heads of Science