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Scientific Integrity
Scientific Integrity
Scientific integrity refers to the set of rules and values that must govern research activities to ensure that they are honest, impartial, objective, and scientifically rigorous.
The 2020 Research Programming Act (LPR) entrusted Hcéres (High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education) with new responsibilities regarding scientific integrity. The Ofis (French Office for Scientific Integrity) is responsible for carrying out these responsibilities.
As defined in the Research Code (Article L. 211-2), scientific integrity is essential to the proper functioning of research communities and forms the foundation of a relationship of trust between the research community and other sectors of society.
The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2011, revised in 2017 and 2023) sets forth the common principles of good research practices
→ Reference documents on scientific integrity: www.ofis-france.fr
The Four Principles
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Reliability in design, methodology, analysis, and the use of resources.
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Respect for colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the environment.
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Honesty in the design, conduct, evaluation, and dissemination of research, in a transparent, fair, comprehensive, and objective manner.
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Responsibility for research activities—from conception to publication—including their management and organization; for training, supervision, and mentoring; and for the broader implications of research.
Scientific Integrity / Professional Conduct / Research Ethics
Scientific integrity, research ethics, and professional conduct are three essential components of responsible research conduct.
Scientific integrity refers to best practices in the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge. It ensures that research activities are honest and rigorous.
Professional ethics refers to a set of obligations specific to the practice of a profession. In France, when a researcher is a public employee, his or her obligations are governed by the General Code of the Civil Service.
Research ethics concerns, on the one hand, the major questions raised by certain scientific developments and, on the other hand, more operational issues regarding the compliance of research protocols with applicable laws and ethical guidelines.
► Learn more: Scientific integrity, professional ethics, and research ethics: What are the differences?
What is a breach of scientific integrity?
Any practice that undermines the reliability of results and the proper functioning of research communities may constitute a breach of scientific integrity. A breach may involve any aspect of research activities across all disciplines.
Some examples of violations that may affect:
Failure to obtain the necessary authorizations (ethics committee approval, participant consent); failure to comply with approved protocols; misuse of research funds.
falsification or fabrication; deliberately inadequate management or archiving; retention without legal justification; omission or selection without scientific justification; problematic statistical analyses; unreported embellishment.
plagiarism; improper attribution or failure to acknowledge a contribution; self-plagiarism; failure to comply with AI usage requirements; improper or biased citations; lack of impartiality or transparency in public statements.
biased peer review, misappropriation of research projects or ideas, lack of supervision, undue obstruction of a peer’s work, unfounded accusations of misconduct.
Failure to disclose affiliations or conflicts of interest may also constitute a violation, as may violations of laws governing research involving human subjects or animals.
In their most serious forms—which may include, in particular, fabrication, falsification of data, and plagiarism—breaches are subject to disciplinary sanctions.
→ For more information: OFIS fact sheets
Gustave Roussy’s Policy in Support of Scientific Integrity
- Training and Awareness Initiatives
- Responsibilities and resources of the scientific integrity officer or the collective body responsible for addressing scientific integrity issues
- Events organized at the institutional level
Scientific Integrity at Gustave Roussy
Professor Eric Solary (RIS@gustaveroussy.fr) is the Scientific Integrity Officer (RIS) at Gustave Roussy (https://www.ofis-france.fr/annuaire/)
The responsibilities of the RIS are defined by the decree of December 27, 2023, and enshrined in the Research Code. In accordance with this decree, the RIS at Gustave Roussy:
- helps define the institution’s policy on scientific integrity,
- coordinates awareness-raising and training initiatives, and organizes measures to prevent and detect violations of scientific integrity requirements
- receives inquiries and reports of “breaches of scientific integrity ” (as defined in a previous chapter), which it investigates impartially and confidentially, including through hearings and investigations, where appropriate in coordination with the scientific integrity officers of other relevant institutions or foundations;
- guarantees the confidentiality of the procedure for handling reports, ensures compliance with the principle of adversarial proceedings, and maintains the transparency of this procedure for both the individuals implicated and those who filed the report;
- promptly submits a report to the Director General of Gustave Roussy to enable him or her to decide on the appropriate course of action for each report investigated;
- ensures that data and publications affected by the breach of scientific integrity requirements are reported to the parties concerned;
- reports to the Director General of Gustave Roussy any internal policies or practices that do not provide sufficient safeguards in terms of scientific integrity.