At Macquarie University, we are committed to the highest standards of research integrity. We believe these standards underpin our reputation for research excellence and reflect our values as an institution.

To ensure researchers are aware of their responsibilities we wish to draw attention to recent changes to our Research Integrity Framework.

The recently issued Authorship Standard and Peer Review Standard articulate how the broad principles of Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 published by the National Health and Medical Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC) and Universities Australia, must be applied to Authorship and Peer Review contexts.

Be informed

Revised Authorship and Peer Review Standards been released to complement the Macquarie University Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and meet the expectations of the NHMRC, ARC and Universities Australia.

These apply to anyone who conducts research or research support under the auspices of Macquarie University.

Assigning Authorship

Researchers are expected to assign authorship fairly and honestly, based on significant intellectual or scholarly contribution following the Authorship Standard.

Planning early is the best way to avoid misunderstandings when it comes to authorship. The Authorship planning form can help guide researchers in this task.

There is an additional requirement for Higher Degree Research Students. Where research papers are being included in a HDR thesis, students must complete (and submit with their thesis for examination) an Authorship Contribution Statement to document the contribution of all authors to each of the proposed or published research papers. This will entail some planning and correspondence between Higher Degree Researchers, their supervisory team and research colleagues prior to thesis submission.

Contributing to Peer Review

Also recently released is the Peer Review Standard, providing direction on how to participate in peer review in a way that is fair, rigorous and timely and maintains the confidentiality of the content.

Peer Review is the lynchpin of research publishing so upholding these principles increases confidence in research by increasing its veracity and reproducibility.

Watch for future changes

The NHMRC and ARC have also released updated guidelines on the specific topics of Management of Data and Information in Research, Publication and Dissemination of Research, Conflicts of Interest, Collaborative Research, and Research Supervision. Macquarie University standards and procedures are being developed or updated in line with these new guides. More details to come in 2021.

Further information

Contact research.integrity@mq.edu.au for further information regarding the implementation of the revised Authorship Standard or Peer Review standard.

Get in touch with a Research Integrity Advisor if you have questions or concerns about research conduct or the Macquarie University Research Code.