The College's achievements in research are underpinned by the quality and expertise of the individuals within it, and Imperial considers it the responsibility of every staff member and student to uphold the good reputation of the College. Consequently, it is expected that all staff and students will promote and maintain a culture of honesty, openness and responsibility, enabling all College research to be conducted with integrity.
The College is a signatory of the UK Concordat to Support Research Integrity (pdf) and is committed to “maintaining the highest standards of rigour and integrity in all aspects of research”.
The College has adopted the Universal Ethical Code for Scientists and upholds its three principles, which are:
- Rigour, Honesty and Integrity;
- Respect for Life, the Law and the Public Good;
- Responsible Communications - Listening and Informing.
The College provides guidance and training to staff and students across a wide range of areas linked to research integrity, including mandatory plagiarism awareness training for doctoral students and Research Data Management.
Our Academic Strategy includes Responsible Research Innovation as a cross-cutting theme underpinning our research and education. Being open about our research and engaging a wide range of stakeholders in our activities is key to achieving this.
Our societal engagement framework is part of our wider external engagement agendas. Societal engagement expresses Imperial’s commitment to sharing the wonder and importance of what we do. It is about how we engage with the public – including schools, patients and local communities – to ensure that our education and research benefits society. The College offers appropriate training for staff and students who participate.