Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct or Scientific Integrity Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a global leader in public health. As such, CDC requires that its science is conducted responsibly, with integrity, and meets current ethical standards. CDC treats scientific integrity very seriously. Please contact us with any concerns.

Under applicable federal regulations found at 42 CFR Part 93, research misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in proposing, performing or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Research misconduct does not include honest errors, differences of opinion, or authorship disputes.

The CDC Scientific Integrity Officer (SIO) in the CDC Office of Science receives and assesses good faith allegations of research misconduct and other scientific integrity concerns. Persons with concerns about possible research misconduct may request an informal consultation with the SIO to discuss the concerns in a hypothetical manner, prior to submitting formal written allegations. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible.

Allegations or questions may be shared with the Scientific Integrity Officer (SIO) at ScientificIntegrity@cdc.gov.

Submitting an allegation:

Written allegations should be submitted directly to the SIO as soon as research misconduct is suspected.

To enable a more thorough assessment of your concerns, when submitting your allegation, please include as much of the following information as possible:

1. Describe your concern, including what research you believe has been falsified, fabricated or plagiarized, and how.
2. Describe the research records, research process, presentations or publications you believe are affected, including any relevant details, such as dates, times, locations, and citations.
3. If possible, name the individuals you believe may have committed the alleged misconduct, any witnesses, and, if known their CDC affiliations and contact information.
4. Include any other information you believe is relevant or supporting documents.

CDC reviews allegations of research misconduct through a standardized process consistent with the CDC Research Misconduct Policy and Public Health Service Regulations, available at these links.  Federal law protects whistleblowers from retaliation.