La Trobe University > Researchers > Research Office > Ethics, Biosafety and Integrity > Research integrity

Research integrity

The Research Integrity Hub

Conducting Responsible Research

The Code outlines the principles of responsible research practice:

  • Honesty in the development, undertaking and reporting of research
  • Rigour in the development, undertaking and reporting of research
  • Transparency in declaring interests and reporting research methodology, data and findings
  • Fairness in the treatment of others
  • Respect for research participants, the wider community, animals and the environment
  • Recognition of the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be engaged in research that affects or is of particular significance to them
  • Accountability for the development, undertaking and reporting of research
  • Promotion of responsible research practices

How do I conduct responsible research?

It's important to think about research integrity at every stage of a research project, from developing your research idea to close-out of the project.

Researchers are expected to meet the principles of responsible research conduct as described in the Code. Below are some examples of a few things to keep in mind throughout the lifecycle of a research project.

Developing your research hypothesis

  • Ensure that the ethics principles of research merit and integrity, justice, beneficence and respect are applied to human research
  • Ensure that the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) are considered at all stages of research involving animals
  • Engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ensure research is safe, respectful, responsible, high quality, of benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities and reflects the core values of – spirit and integrity, cultural continuity, equity, reciprocity, respect and responsibility.

Planning your research project

  • Adopt methods appropriate to the aims of the research
  • Identify actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest
  • Develop a data management plan for the proposed research

Obtaining approvals and licences

  • Obtain appropriate ethics approvals prior to starting research involving humans or animals
  • Obtain appropriate approvals and licences prior to conducting research involving genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
  • Ensure appropriate agreements are in place, as required (e.g. material/data transfer agreements, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements etc.)

Conducting your research

  • Provide appropriate guidance and mentorship on responsible research conduct to researchers, including students, under your supervision
  • Comply with relevant laws, regulations, standards, ethics guidelines and institutional policies related to responsible research conduct
  • Adhere to the conditions of relevant licences and approvals during the course of the research project
  • Spend grant funding responsibly, according to the funding agreement
  • Retain complete records of all research including research data and primary materials

Disseminating your findings

  • Ensuring that conclusions are justified by the results
  • Disseminate research findings responsibly, accurately and broadly and, where necessary, correct the record in a timely manner
  • Cite and acknowledge other relevant work appropriately and accurately
  • Ensure that authors of research outputs meet the required authorship criteria
  • Acknowledge those who have contributed to the research
  • Disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest
  • Ensure research data, records and primary materials are maintained and appropriately destroyed once the retention period has passed

Lastly, regardless of the stage of the research lifecycle, it is important to:

  • Ensure that peer review of grant applications and research outputs is conducted in a way that is fair, rigorous and maintains confidentiality
  • Support a culture of responsible research conduct at La Trobe and in your field of practice
  • Undertake and promote education and training in responsible research conduct
  • Report suspected breaches of the Research Code to the LTU Research Integrity Hub

For more information, please e-mail researchintegrity@latrobe.edu.au.

Guidelines, Policies, Procedures and Resources

What  are the some of the principal documents that guide LTU research integrity?

The Code: The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

La Trobe University Policies and Procedures

Researcher Templates

Research Integrity Advisors

Who can answer my questions about research integrity?

If you have a question about the conduct of research at La Trobe University, we suggest reaching out to one of our Research Integrity Advisors (RIAs). RIAs can be found across all of the Schools at La Trobe University and you are welcome to contact any one of them, they do not necessarily have to be the one from your school.

La Trobe RIAs have a strong understanding of responsible research conduct. They can provide support and advocate for research integrity across the projects and across the university.

RIAs can:

  • Provide confidential advice.
  • Answer questions related to research integrity.
  • Direct you to helpful resources.
  • Help you make an informed decision if you are thinking about lodging a complaint with the Research Integrity Hub

Importantly, RIAs do not contact individuals subject to allegations and will not be involved in assessing or investigating concerns about research conduct.

We encourage you to reach out to them for an informal discussion if you have queries or concerns about research integrity or need advice on how to proceed with responsible research practices of your own.

School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment

Dr Helena Kim
03 9479 3975
h.kim2@latrobe.edu.au

Dr Helena Kim obtained her PhD in Neuroscience from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health at University of Melbourne in 2011. After her PhD, she joined the Vascular Biology and Immunopharmacology Group (VBIG) headed by Professors Christopher Sobey and Grant Drummond at the Department of Pharmacology, Monash University. In 2017, she joined Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology at La Trobe University, and now leads the Stroke and Brain Inflammation division within the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research. She has published >40 peer-reviewed papers in internationally recognised journals, including Brain, Behaviour & Immunity, Nature Communications, Stroke, and Cardiovascular Research. Helena has received recognition for her work including an NHMRC Ideas Grant (CIB), CASS Medicine/Science Grant, philanthropic funding (CIB), and industry partnerships. She is currently exploring inflammatory mechanisms that might contribute to brain injury and neurological outcome following ischemic stroke and how these might be targeted with cell-based therapies.

Dr Ryan Phillips
03 9479 6674
r.phillips@latrobe.edu.au

My primary area of research is the mechanisms underpinning specialised ecological interactions, their role in generating species diversity, and their vulnerability to landscape modification. In addition to extensive field ecological studies, to tackle these issues I have drawn upon a diversity of tools including population genetics, phylogenetics and chemical ecology. While my original research focus was on the role of specialised pollination strategies in the evolution and conservation of Australian orchids, I have a broad interest in natural history that has led to projects on wasps, fish, stingless bees, birds, and others. The main projects I am currently involved in are: the evolution of sexual deception in spider orchids; optimising conservation translocations of rare plants through knowledge of pollination biology; the evolution of vertebrate pollination systems in old landscapes; and adaptations to pollination by honey possums in Banksia. I currently lecture in Conservation Biology and Animal-Plant Interactions, with the highlight being a field course at Wilsons Promontory National. In addition, I am the course coordinator of the Bachelor of Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

Prof Chris Sobey 
03 9479 1316
c.sobey@latrobe.edu.au

Professor Sobey is Co-Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research at La Trobe University. He has more than 260 publications, 25,000 citations and an h-index of 81 in the areas of experimental stroke and cardiovascular diseases. His work is currently exploring amnion cells as a novel therapy for stroke and vascular dementia, and he is part of a team that is undertaking clinical trials of cell therapy in acute stroke.

Dr Dugald Reid
0455 781 290
Dugald.reid@latrobe.edu.au

Dugald joined the School of Agriculture Bioscience and Environment's Department of Animal Plant and Soil Sciences as a Lecturer in 2023. His research focuses on how plants perceive the environment and adapt their nutrient acquisition strategies accordingly. He is interested in research integrity particularly as it relates to data storage, analysis, and reusability as well as integrity of scientific publishing.

School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport

Dr Katerina Sarapis 
03 9479 2728
k.sarapis@latrobe.edu.au

Dr Katerina Sarapis is a Nutritionist with a major in Public Health Nutrition, a Lecturer and a Researcher at La Trobe University in the Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics. Katerina has many years of teaching experience and has been coordinating and teaching across Nutrition-research subjects online and on campus. Her research interests are exploring the efficacy and mechanisms related to the use of functional foods and novel plant compounds for cardiovascular, and microbiome related outcomes. In addition, her public health skills extend to the design and development of evidence based public health promotion programs and disease prevention strategies that can be applied at multiple levels of influence across the social ecological framework. Katerina has supervised and is supervising graduate research students from diverse areas (Nutrition, Microbio, Anat, Physiology & Pharma).

La Trobe Business School

Dr Malliga Marimuthu 
03 9479 1933
m.marimuthu@latrobe.edu.au

Dr. Malliga Marimuthu is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at La Trobe Business School. At La Trobe University she has served as Program Director for Marketing and Third-Party Teaching (TPT) partnership programs. Dr. Marimuthu's academic pursuits centre around understanding consumer behaviour and driving positive changes for individuals, communities, and organisations, specifically in service sectors. Her work is published in esteemed international journals, and she currently serves in the Journal of Service Management's scientific committee through the Editorial Advisory Board. Dr. Marimuthu has supervised numerous PhD, Masters, MBA, and Honours students towards completion, earning respect for her Research Methodology workshops. She is passionate about promoting ethical research practices and, in her former organisation, regularly conducted educational programs to equip the academic community with tools for responsible research. With an extensive publication record, teaching experience at various levels, and a history of successful grants and consultancy projects, Dr. Marimuthu significantly contributes to the academic landscape.

School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Professor Marcel Jackson Sciences 03 9479 1570m.g.jackson@latrobe.edu.au

Marcel Jackson is the Associate Dean for Research and Industry Engagement in the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, as well as School Director of Graduate Research.  He joined La Trobe University as a lecturer in pure mathematics in 2000, with his own research sitting within the fields of algebra, logic and their interaction with theoretical computer science.  He has held several grants and fellowships at La Trobe University in these areas, including a Future Fellowship (2013-2016).  He has nearly 20 years of journal editorial experience, and extensive grant assessment experience, including current membership on the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.

School of Education

Professor Therese Keane 
03 9479 6467
t.keane@latrobe.edu.au

Therese Keane is the Associate Dean of Research and Industry Engagement and Professor of STEM Education in the School of Education at La Trobe University. For over 25 years Therese has been an advocate for empowering girls in STEM and particularly in digital technologies. Her passion and many achievements have been acknowledged by her peers in her receiving numerous international, national and state awards. She has worked in a variety of school settings where she has taught IT and lead in K-12 education as the Director of ICT. She is the current Vice Chair of the Working Group 3.3 (Research into Educational Applications of Information Technologies) for the Technical Committee on Education in the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP)/UNESCO. Therese is Deputy Editor for "Education and Information Technologies" - the official journal of the IFIP Technical Committee on Education covering the complex relationship between information and communication technologies and education.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Anthony Collins 
03 9479 3157
a.collins2@latrobe.edu.au

Anthony Collins (they/them) is an interdisciplinary social justice activist and academic. Their primary focus is on social justice, violence prevention, harm reduction, and survivor support, especially from minority and global South perspectives. Their work integrates a range of disciplines including cultural studies, media studies, gender studies, decolonial studies, critical criminology, and critical psychology, with attention to culture and identity. This work examines the ways in which common-sense, popular media, and academic ideas either enable violence and exploitation, or assist in achieving social justice. It includes attention to structural violence, and the global and local systems and inequalities that harm vulnerable people and groups. This work is also directed towards developing conceptual frameworks and pedagogical strategies for critical and transformative teaching that enables social justice.

Professor Marija Tabain
03 9479 1521
m.tabain@latrobe.edu.au

Marija Tabain's research is in articulatory and acoustic phonetics, and her work has focused on many different languages from around the world. She is the Editor of the Journal of the International Phonetic Association, and an executive member of the permanent council of the International Phonetic Association. She has previously served on the executive of the Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association, and on the Australian Research Council College of Experts. Her undergraduate degrees are in music (pianoforte), modern languages (French, Italian and Russian) and linguistics at the University of Melbourne, and she completed her postgraduate training in phonetics at Macquarie University in Sydney. She then held postdoctoral positions in speech communication and cognitive sciences at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble in France; at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and at Western Sydney University, before coming to La Trobe in 2005.

La Trobe Law School

Dr Savitri Taylor
03 9479 1277
S.Taylor@latrobe.edu.au

Dr Savitri Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Law School, La Trobe University, where she has worked since 1995. At various times in the past, she has been the School's Associate Dean (Research and Industry Engagement)/Director of Research. Savitri's own research focuses on asylum and refugee issues in Australia, the Asia Pacific and globally, which she approaches mainly from an international human rights law perspective.

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Dr Rachel Cardwell
03 9479 3354
r.cardwell@latrobe.edu.au

Rachel is a qualitative researcher, with a research platform centred around clinical and educational leadership, evidence-based practice, and nursing education. In her role, Rachel coordinates and teaches the research thesis pathway for postgraduate Master of Nursing and Master of Midwifery students. Additionally, she serves as the Graduate Research Coordinator for Higher Degree by Research students and holds the position of Research Integrity Officer for the School of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe University.

School of Psychology and Public Health

Dr Rebecca Flower
03 5444 7126
r.flower@latrobe.edu.au

Dr Rebecca Flower is a teaching and research Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Counselling, & Therapy. Bec is the Research Integrity Advisor available to researchers in the School of Psychology and Public Health. Bec has served on the above low risk Human Research Ethics Committee since 2020. She is based at the Bendigo campus.

You can also contact the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety team by sending an e-mail to researchintegrity@latrobe.edu.au.

Ethics and Integrity Education

Where can I learn more about research ethics and integrity?

Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Education Program will return in 2025!

Other Training Resources:

Concerns and Complaints

Complaints about  La Trobe University Research Projects

Any interested person may raise a concern or make a complaint about the conduct of a research project. Such a concern or complaint will be made in writing and submitted electronically via email.  A Complaints Form is available. The complaint should be forwarded to the attention of the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, via Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety at eib@latrobe.edu.au. An acknowledgement of the complaint will be sent by a member of the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Team within two (2) business days of receipt of the complaint.

The Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will review the complaint to determine if there is an apparent ongoing impact to a participant’s, animal’s welfare, or immediate risk to the environment (depending on the type of complaint received) that extends beyond those described in the approved ethics submission. If that is determined to be the case, the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will notify the Executive Director of the Research Office and subsequently advise the Principal Investigator to cease research activities until a review has been undertaken.

Where the complaint relates to activities that would normally require Ethics Committee or Review Body approval, the complaint will be considered by the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, or nominee, and the Chair of the relevant Ethics Committee or Review Body, who will determine the level of investigation required in accordance with the relevant ethical guidelines.  Where further investigation is called for, the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Team will undertake a full risk-based monitoring investigation and prepare a report for the relevant Ethics Committee or Review Body. The report will detail the investigation and any findings and recommendations for further action.

The Ethics Committee or Review Body decides on any required actions and informs the relevant parties. These actions may include but are not limited to:

  • a caution
  • increased reporting requirements and/or monitoring by the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety
  • the requirement for amendments to the project
  • suspension of ethical approval
  • withdrawal of ethical approval.

Where the investigation finds that the complaint involves a breach of the relevant ethical guidelines, legislation or policy, the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will work with the relevant Ethics Committee or Review Body and/or School/Centre to avoid a recurrence.

Where the review or investigation finds that the breach of the relevant ethical guidelines may also represent a breach of the Australian Code or research misconduct, the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will refer it to the La Trobe University Designated Officer who will handle it in line with the La Trobe Research Misconduct Procedure.

Where the review or investigation determines the complaint to be unfounded or unsupported, the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will dismiss the complaint and the reason/s for dismissal will be provided to the complainant and to the committee.

Where the review or investigation finds that the complaint should be dealt with under other institutional provisions, the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, will refer it on as appropriate.

The relevant Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Secretariat will inform the researcher(s) in writing, of the result of and any actions arising out of the investigation, within five (5) business days.

The complainant will be advised by the relevant Committee Secretariat in writing of the outcome of the investigation of the complaint.

It is the responsibility of the Secretariat to update the records and the database of research proposals accordingly.

A summary of complaints will be included on the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety regular report to the Research Graduate School Committee.

All Complaints will be recorded in the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Complaints Register.

Complaints will remain confidential.

Review Body Conduct Complaints

Where a complaint cannot be readily resolved by communication between the complainant and the Ethics Committee or Review Body, a complaint may be submitted to the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, in writing via eib@latrobe.edu.au using the Ethics Integrity and Biosafety Complaints Form.

Following receipt of a complaint the Senior Manager or their nominee will seek further information from the relevant Ethics Committee or Review Body Chair; Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Research Staff; or other relevant La Trobe staff or students as necessary to establish the veracity of the complaint, and whether any La Trobe University policies or procedures have been compromised.

The Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety, or nominee will provide a report to the relevant Ethics Committee or Review Body and the complainant on the outcome of the investigation of the complaint and include a recommendation for any further actions.

The ultimate decision regarding the ethical acceptability of an activity lies with the relevant ethics committee and must not be overridden.

A summary of complaints will be included in the regular Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety report to the Research Graduate School Committee.

All Complaints will be recorded in the Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety Complaints Register.

Complaints will remain confidential.

For more information please contact the Senior Manager, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety

Telephone: 03 9479 1383

Email eib@latrobe.edu.au

Complaints about Research Integrity and Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Any person who has a concern or complaint about a potential breach of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research that may have occurred or is occurring is encouraged to approach the Senior Managewr, Ethics, Integrity and Biosafety or a Research Integrity Advisor for assistance with considering their options.

Outcomes of that discussion may include:

  • not proceeding if the complaint is clearly not related to a breach of the Code
  • proceeding under other institutional processes
  • making a complaint about a potential breach of the Code

If deciding to make a formal complaint, the following should be included in as much detail as possible:

  • clearly identify each instance of the alleged breach of the Code, indicating the place or places and date or dates on which the conduct in question occurred;
  • state the identity and relationship with La Trobe University of the person engaged in the alleged research integrity breach and the research project or activity and the nature of the alleged breach under the Code;  and
  • identify and attach (in as much detail as possible) any supporting evidence

The Complainant may seek advice from a Research Integrity Advisor to construct a complaint that is as complete and as thorough as possible. It is not the sole responsibility of the Complainant to provide all the necessary material to reach a conclusion, nor to identify the parts of the Code or other relevant policy, law, regulation or guideline that may have been breached.

If you decide you wish to lodge a complaint about a potential breach of the Code, please follow the appropriate submission pathway below.

Complaints About:

Send an Email to:

Staff Member*

researchintegrity@latrobe.edu.au

Higher Degree Student (Masters degree, professional doctorate or PhD)

Dean.grs@latrobe.edu.au

*Please note, if the concern relates to a student who is also a staff member, and the complaint relates to the work they are doing as a staff member, then the matter should be reported in their capacity as a staff member.