USC is committed to maintaining an environment that promotes high ethical standards in the conduct of research without inhibiting productivity or creativity of persons involved in research.  The University does not tolerate misconduct in any aspect of research, and has developed a Scientific Misconduct policy that sets out policies and procedures for fairly and uniformly investigating and reporting all instances of alleged or apparent misconduct involving research by members of the University community, regardless of funding source.

Under USC’s Scientific Misconduct policy, falsification, fabrication, or plagiarism in connection with the proposal, performance, or review of research, or in reporting its results, amounts to scientific misconduct when committed intentionally or with reckless disregard of accepted practices.

Allegations of research misconduct are investigated promptly and thoroughly, while taking into account the legitimate privacy interests of both those who bring allegations as well as those who face them.  USC does not tolerate any form of retaliation against those who make allegations of scientific misconduct, and likewise does not tolerate allegations of scientific misconduct that are made in bad faith.

A finding of scientific misconduct carries may lead to a range of disciplinary actions against those found to have engaged in scientific misconduct, up through and including dismissal from the university.  Under applicable regulations, USC also reports findings of research misconduct to federal agencies as required. 

USC’s policies and procedures related to scientific misconduct may be found in the USC Scientific Misconduct Policy.

Education and Training

The Office of Compliance has created a Grants Management Education program, which is offered to all faculty, staff, and students.  The program is comprised of two courses, a live lecture entitled “It’s About More Than Just Good Science:  A How-To Guide For Effective Grants Management”, which focuses on fiscal and administrative issues related to grants, and an on-line course titled “Above Reproach: Ethical Conduct in Research”, which focuses on ethical issues related to the proposal, conduct, and reporting of research.

The “Above Reproach: Ethical Conduct in Research” on-line course offers education and training with regard to scientific misconduct, including defining what a conflict of interest is as well as explaining the responsibilities of USC faculty, staff, and students under the Scientific Misconduct policy.  You may register for the course by clicking on the “Grants Management Education Program” link on this website.

The Office of Compliance also regularly publishes the Health Sciences Compliance Newsletter, which is intended to provide the research community with current information about health care and research compliance issues, including issues with regard to scientific misconduct.   Contact the Office of Compliance to be added to the listserve for the Newsletter, or click on the Healthcare Compliance Newsletter link in the Healthcare Compliance section of this website to view or download past issues. 

Monitoring and Auditing