Research Integrity

​Overview

Integrity is one of SingHealth’s three core values. The profound impact on humanities that the value of research brings, signified the importance to ensure research needs to be carried out with the highest level of integrity.

Research Integrity refers to high quality and responsible practice across the research process, starting from proposing, planning and conduct of research, to data collection and evaluation of results and the final dissemination and application of findings. The fundamental values in scientific research include:

• Honesty and fairness – conveying information truthfully   

• Accuracy and reliability – reporting findings precisely and ensuring reproducibility
• Efficiency – utilisation of resources wisely
• Objectively – avoiding improper bias

RICE’s integrity office will work with the institutions’ stakeholders to achieve:

• A framework for research integrity within SingHealth to ensure human research is carry out under high standards of integrity   
• Avenue to facilitate reporting of research misconduct
• Resource for institution if there is an Committee of Inquiry (COI)

For any suspicion of wrongdoing that may potentially harm any research subject, please submit all enquiries and requests to the Research Integrity Office at oric@singhealth.com.sg with the following details:

• Respondent Name & Designation(s)
• Institution & Department the respondent works in
• Details of the research misconduct (To provide details on time, date and location of events if possible)
• Evidence of research misconduct or any supporting documents to support allegations

Publication and Authorship

All authors should ensure that the manuscript does not violate copyright/propriety of others. Prior consent should be sought from third party should the materials belonging to third party be used or referenced in the publication and appropriate acknowledgement should be indicated. All authors should familiarise themselves with the international best practices on authorship and manuscript writing, including the accurate reporting and integrity of research. Reference can be drawn from the recommendations made by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, must be truthfully declared by all authors of a manuscript in accordance with the requirements stipulated by the respective journals/proceedings.

Research Misconduct

Research Misconduct includes plagiarism, falsification and fabrication in proposing, performing, reviewing research or in reporting research results.

• Plagiarism: the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving due credit.
• Falsification: the manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data/results such that the research is falsely or inaccurately represented in the research record or publication.
• Fabrication: the making up data/results, as well as the recording or reporting these made-up data/results.

All reported or uncovered cases of research misconduct with credible evidence shall be investigated. Any researcher bearing witness to research misconduct has an obligation to report the act. There are many avenues to report research misconduct. If the event occurred at the institution level, please refer to institution reporting and management framework.