Perceptions on the role of research integrity officers in French medical schools

ABSTRACT

Researchers, organizations, and governments are trying to foster research integrity. In France, the law recently permitted the appointment of research integrity officers (RIOs) in each university, to promote research integrity and handle misconducts. Since we assumed that having adequate bodies to deal with research integrity could foster research integrity, we wanted to understand how this might work more concretely. We interviewed 11 newly appointed RIOs in medical schools about how they perceive their role and cope with their responsibilities. We analyzed data following the Paillé and Muchielli’s thematic analysis approach. The RIOs report a strong and interesting appropriation of concepts of research integrity, which allows them to warrant their role. Although they report that they did not seek their appointment, they show a real desire to cope with their responsibilities. They are willing to build a role which is currently poorly defined. They assert their legitimacy through their position and experience. They identify themselves with a preventive and corrective role, in an altruistic way. They emphasize their independent and collective role, congruent with other actors. The RIOs intend to be enablers of a responsible conduct of research. These results are encouraging about the potential impact of RIOs to foster research integrity.

KEYWORDS:

• Research ethics
• research integrity
• research integrity officer
• responsible conduct of research
• organizational ethics, institutional ethics

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Hervé Maisonneuve, RIO at Université de Paris, for his assistance; the “DIU Recherche qualitative en santé – Université de Montpellier” team, for their contribution to this work; the French Medicine Deans Conference, for its support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Lettre-circulaire n° 2017–040 du 15 mars 2017 relative à la politique d’intégrité scientifique au sein des établissements d’enseignement supérieur et de leurs regroupements, des organismes de recherche, des fondations de coopération scientifique et des institutions concourant au service public de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, ci-après dénommés « opérateur(s) de recherche », et au traitement des cas de manquements à l’intégrité scientifique.

2. Décret n° 2021–1572 du 3 décembre 2021 relatif au respect des exigences de l’intégrité scientifique par les établissements publics contribuant au service public de la recherche et les fondations reconnues d’utilité publique ayant pour activité principale la recherche publique.

3. Diplôme inter-universitaire de recherche qualitative en santé, Université de Montpellier.

Additional information

Funding

The author reports there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.