Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarly Activity

As a land-grant institution, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is accountable to New Hampshire residents and to the university community to ensure the ethical and safe conduct of research and scholarly activity. As an institution of higher education that prides itself on extensive research endeavors and the involvement of undergraduates and graduate students in research projects, UNH has an obligation to teach and actively promote integrity in research and scholarship.

To fulfill its obligations, UNH has embarked on a program on the responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity (RCR) to:

• Raise the consciousness of faculty, staff, and students regarding the ethical and responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity,
• Establish a knowledge base that defines normative and/or professional behavior to assist faculty, staff, and students in making ethical and responsible decisions in the conduct of research and scholarly activity, and
• Foster an institutional culture of integrity in research and scholarly activity encompassing all stages of individuals' careers.

In February 2019, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity (RCR) Committee endorsed the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Code of Conduct (Section III, pages 4-6).  

In endorsing the AGU Code of Conduct, the UNH RCR Committee is setting forth expectations for behavior that fosters and supports a safe, inclusive, and professional environment for faculty, staff, and students at UNH to pursue and conduct scholarly and research activities. [Where an AGU policy is cited in Section III that differs from UNH’s (such as the definition of scientific misconduct), UNH’s prevails, and where an AGU policy differs from that of an individual’s professional society if other than AGU, the latter prevails for that person.] 

unh policy on misconduct in scholarly activity

unh policy on discrimination and discriminatory harassment

The RCR Committee decided to endorse the Code of Conduct in lieu of developing institution-specific standards to promote a culture of research integrity at UNH.  This was due to the general nature of the AGU Principles and Behaviors, and their broad applicability to a wide-range of disciplines and professions.  Further, many faculty and students at UNH are AGU members and thus are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct.  Endorsement of the AGU’s Code of Conduct is an important component of UNH's RCR program goals.

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View Responsible Conduct of Research Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base contains forms, instruction and training material, policies, guidance, tools, and other resources to support your research efforts by topic area.

Julie Simpson, Director
Research Integrity Services
Service Building Room 107
51 College Road
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: (603) 862-2003
Email: julie.simpson@unh.edu