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RS05: Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity

Draft RS05: Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity its associated procedures replace 31.10 Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity and its associated procedures.

The purpose of this policy and its associated procedures is to define and articulate VIU’s principles of scholarly integrity, the processes for investigating allegations of misconduct, and the response for such incidents.

Consultation on the draft policy is now open and members of the VIU community are invited to share their feedback. The consultation runs from December 16, 2024 until 4 pm on January 24, 2025. Input received during the community consultation will help inform changes to the proposed policy and procedures. Any feedback or submissions received after the consultation period concludes may not be reflected in the revised policy and procedures or in the consultation summary report.

The Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research requires institutions to establish conduct policies and procedures. This policy ensures VIU is meeting the tri-agency requirements and manages risk.

VIU’s existing policy and procedures were adapted to the new templates, maintaining original wording throughout. Some new content was added to comply with the new policy template.

Because of the high level of risk associated with non-compliance, the Board of Governors is being given oversight over the procedures as well as the policy.  The Board of Governors, therefore, is being asked to approve the procedures in addition to the policy.

Table of Concordance: Policy 

Section – New Policy

Notes

Purpose

New

Scope and Application

New

Policy

Content from “Statement” section of original policy

Considerations

New

Roles and Responsibilities
  • New, based on policy and procedures
  • content for “All VIU Researchers” ported over from the opening paragraph of procedure 31.10.001

Related Documents

From original policy, with addition of conflict of interest document

Revision History

New

Appendix A: Definitions

From original policy “Definitions” section; new definition added for “Tri-Agencies” from original definition in “Tri-Agency Framework”

Removed

  • Provost & VP, Academic under “Administrative Responsibility:” In the original policy, the Provost is listed under both “Administrative Responsibility” and “Executive Responsible.” There is no longer an “Administrative Authority,” but instead a “Policy Owner” who is responsible for developing and maintaining the policy. As this is the responsibility of the AVP, Research and Graduate Studies, they were made the “Policy Owner.” The Provost remains the “Responsible Executive.”

Procedures

RS05.01: Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarly Activity Procedure

  • Most content moved to new procedure. Changes include:
    • New “Purpose” and “Scope and Applications” sections added, using content from the policy
    • Content from original preamble move to 1.1.
    • New content added (sections 3.5 and 3.6) re: research funding approval process based on the SCRA Institutional Approval Process
    • One section moved from original procedure to new policy “Roles and Responsibilities” section

RS05.02: Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activity Procedure

  • Most content moved to new procedure. Changes include:
    • “Scope and Application” sections adapted from new policy (RS05) and original procedure
    • New role articulated for the Provost, as per the policy
    • Appendix removed as it is a Tri-Agency document applying only to Tri-Agency breaches; the inclusion of this chart was, therefore, felt to be confusing and better as part of communications content
    • Other repetitive content removed

Share your input

Once you have reviewed the policy, please share your feedback in one of the following ways:

Policy Office
Office of the General Counsel and University Secretary
Nanaimo Campus
Building: 305, Room: 432
Mail drop: 305-4A

Feedback provided will be anonymized in all reporting.

Formal submissions

Formal submissions from groups or organizations can be submitted by email to Policy@viu.ca or in writing (see above). Please state the name of your group and the position of the person submitting the feedback. These submissions will not be anonymized and feedback will be attributed in reporting.

Thank you for participating!

Once consultation is complete, this policy will go through the Board of Governors approval process. The policy may be updated based on the feedback received. The Policy Office may also make minor changes to formatting/wording for consistency. Consultation feedback and policy changes will be outlined in the consultation report. The consultation report will be provided to the Board of Governors and posted on this policy page.

We anticipate this draft policy will be provided to the March 31, 2025 Board of Governors meeting for approval. Check back on the RS05: Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity policy page for updates as this policy moves through the policy approval process.