Research complaints
You are encouraged to report potential breaches of the UNSW Research Code of Conduct.
UNSW researchers are expected to be committed to high standards of professional conduct in accord with the accepted practice of their disciplines, codes of relevant external funding bodies and legislative requirements. Allowing people to do the wrong thing can have a detrimental impact on the reputation of UNSW and the excellence of research more generally.
Resolving your complaint
In most cases, problems can be simply and quickly resolved by raising them at a local level when they arise with the person or area responsible. In instances where issues cannot be resolved by Step 1, a complaint can be lodged in Step 2
IMPORTANT: If your complaint involves an immediate risk of harm to humans, animals or the environment please contact UNSW Research Ethics and Compliance Support now.
Step 1 - Talk to someone
Your first point of contact should be your supervisor or the Research Integrity Advisor (RIA) for your faculty.
Faculty RIAs are familiar with the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requirements for your broad discipline and can offer confidential advice on whether your complaint should be referred to the Conduct & Integrity Office.
Helpful documents
If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of this step, you may wish to proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 - Lodge a complaint
If you feel uncomfortable or have tried unsuccessfully to resolve your concerns with the relevant person, or Faculty RIA in Step 1, you can lodge a formal complaint in writing with the UNSW Conduct and Integrity Office below.
Below are some tips when making your complaint.
- Be timely. The sooner you lodge a complaint, the quicker the issue can be considered and hopefully resolved.
- Provide evidence. To better support your claim, include as much evidence as possible. Depending on the nature of your complaint this might include emails and other correspondence, draft manuscripts or published papers, ethics approval documents or reference numbers. The University will assess your complaint and may request more detail from you to assist in deciding how to handle the issues you raise.
- Be respectful. You might be dissatisfied about something, but please be mindful in communicating your concerns with courtesy and respect to the complaint handlers assigned to your case. They are available to respond to any questions you have about the complaint process.
The University respects the wishes of those wanting to remain anonymous. However, please keep in mind the University’s ability to investigate an anonymous complaint may be limited and you will also not be provided the outcome of your complaint.
What happens now?
Once you lodge a complaint online, the Conduct and Integrity Office (CIO) will endeavour to progress your complaint as efficiently as possible.
You will receive acknowledgement within 5 working days. A staff member from the CIO assigned to your case will then assess the complaint and advise you of the next steps. The staff member may contact you to gather additional information or request clarification. The next steps may include assigning an Assessment Officer to conduct a Preliminary Assessment in accordance with the Research Misconduct Procedure.
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If you are dissatisfied with the outcome or the way your complaint was handled by the University, you can lodge an external review with any of the following agencies.
Australian Research Integrity Committee
Independent Commission Against Corruption
Information and Privacy Commission
Please keep in mind that some external agencies may require you to have lodged an internal complaint first.
If your complaint relates to a publication or submitted manuscript you are free to contact the relevant journal editor or publisher directly.
Still have questions
The Research Integrity Team can help answer any questions you may have. For all research related matters email research.integrity@unsw.edu.au
Helpful information
Conduct & integrity at UNSW
UNSW holds its students and staff to the highest of standards. Here you can find out more about the standards enforced at UNSW and what to do if you suspect a breach of any of these codes has occurred.
Research integrity
UNSW expects the highest standards of integrity across all aspects of research conducted UNSW researchers. Here are some resources to assist you in meeting these standards.
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