Research Integrity

Birmingham City University expects the highest standards of integrity in the conduct of all research carried out under the auspices of the University by its staff and students, visiting staff, contractors or consultants, and those holding honorary contracts with the University.

The Concordat to Support Research Integrity

The Concordat to Support Research Integrity provides a national framework for supporting research and its governance. The University is committed to meeting the five commitments of the Concordat, namely:

1. upholding the highest standards of rigour and integrity in all aspects of research;
2. ensuring that research is conducted according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks, obligations and standards;
3. supporting a research environment that is underpinned by a culture of integrity and based on good governance, best practice, and support for the development of researchers;
4. using transparent, timely, robust and fair processes to deal with allegations of research misconduct should they arise;
5. working together to strengthen the integrity of research and to review progress regularly and openly.

Policies and Guidance

Birmingham City University is currently reviewing and updating a number of policies and guidance to support its research endeavours and demonstrate its commitment to the Concordat, including:

• Code of Good Research Conduct
• Research Misconduct Policy
• Research Data Protection Policy (see also the University’s Data Protection Policy)
• Research Data Retention Schedule
• Research Ethical Framework

The latest versions of these policies will be publicly available in the coming months.

Research Integrity Statement

Birmingham City University have and will continue to publish an annual research integrity statement that outlines steps taken to further strengthen the integrity of research, including the number of any formal investigations of research misconduct and learning from any instances.

BCU Annual Research Integrity Statement 2019-2020

University Contacts

The Research Integrity Officers are the first point of contact for all enquiries relating to research integrity, providing guidance, resources and training opportunities for researchers at Birmingham City University. If you have any questions relating to research integrity, please contact research_integrity@bcu.ac.uk.

Professor Julian Beer (Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Innovation and Enterprise) is the named senior person responsible for research integrity within the University.

Executive PA - Fiona Shields (fiona.shields@bcu.ac.uk)

Telephone - 0121 331 5560

Anyone who wishes to raise a confidential concern about actual or suspected misconduct or other matters should refer to the University’s Whistleblowing Policy which provides guidance on which procedure to follow, and who to contact, when wishing to raise a concern.

Research ethics

Our research integrity is upheld by our research ethics team and faculty ethics committees.
Find out more

Advice for staff (Research Integrity)

Take a look at our research integrity pages on iCity for help and advice (login required).
Find out more