Which of the following is true regarding the U.S. federal research misconduct policy?

The answer

Under the U.S. federal research misconduct policy, the true statement is that research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP) in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Equally important, the policy states that research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.

• Fabrication — making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
• Falsification — manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data such that the research is not accurately represented.
• Plagiarism — appropriating another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

The requirements for a finding

A finding of research misconduct under the federal policy requires that:

1. There is a significant departure from accepted practices of the relevant research community;
2. The misconduct was committed intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly; and
3. The allegation is proven by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not — the standard used, not "beyond a reasonable doubt").

Another true fact often tested: the institution (not the funding agency) bears primary responsibility for prevention, detection, inquiry, and investigation of research misconduct, with federal oversight (e.g., ORI for PHS-funded work) reviewing the process.

Why the other options are wrong

Common false distractors include:

• "Research misconduct includes honest error or differences of opinion." False — the policy expressly excludes these. Science self-corrects through honest mistakes; only intentional, knowing, or reckless FFP counts.
• "Authorship disputes or ordinary disagreements are misconduct." False — these are not FFP and are handled through other means.
• "A finding requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt." False — the standard is preponderance of the evidence.
• "The federal government (ORI) conducts the primary investigation." Misleading — the institution has primary responsibility; the federal office provides oversight and can conduct its own review, but the first-line duty rests with the institution.
• "Misconduct includes any regulatory or financial violation." False — the federal research misconduct definition is limited to FFP, not to every rule violation (though other violations may be addressed separately).

The bigger picture

The federal definition was deliberately narrowed to FFP to protect legitimate science from being chilled. Researchers make honest errors and hold competing interpretations constantly; punishing those would deter the risk-taking that drives discovery. By requiring intent (or recklessness), a significant departure from community norms, and a preponderance of evidence, the policy targets deliberate corruption of the research record while shielding good-faith work. Knowing exactly what is and is not misconduct — and who investigates it — lets you eliminate the tempting distractors and select the FFP definition as the correct statement.