Making An Anonymous Complaint?

There are many factors which go into making an allegation of research misconduct. Often, individuals are hesitant to make a complaint because they do not wish the Respondent or others involved to find out that they are the individual who has done so. You may always make an anonymous allegation of research misconduct (see Reporting Potential Research Misconduct). However, there may be some drawbacks to making a complaint without revealing your identity to the RIO or providing them with a way to contact you. When letters or calls are totally anonymous, with no return call or contact point provided, there is no way for the RIO to get more information or to inform you about the outcome of the review of the allegations. In many cases, without being able to get more information from the Complainant, these allegations often have too few factual details to pursue in-depth. 

You do not have to give your name to the RIO when making an allegation of research misconduct. However, you should always provide the RIO with a way to contact you in the event that additional information is needed, such as an email or phone number with voicemail that you check regularly. It is standard for the RIO to conduct an intake meeting to gather more information. This can be done over the phone without providing other identifying information. Failing to provide a way for the RIO to contact you or providing a contact method that you do not/cannot check or only check infrequently may mean that you lose the ability to participate in the RP02 process in some ways or may even mean that the process cannot progress and/or be completed. For example if, during the Assessment phase, the RIO needs additional information to determine whether the allegation meets the definition of research misconduct or is sufficiently specific/credible and the RIO cannot successfully contact you or obtain the information from another source, the allegation may not be able to proceed to the Inquiry stage of the research integrity process. Additionally, if the RIO is unable to contact you, you will not receive updates about the status of the RP02 process or be notified when it has concluded and will be unable to participate in interviews with the Official or Committee asked to assist in fact-finding and analysis of the issue. 

Please be assured that every step will be taken to protect your identity if it is disclosed to the RIO, including pseudonyms and redaction or editing of documents and transcripts, etc. However, although the RIO will maintain appropriate confidentiality pursuant to the University's Policy and any other applicable federal or other regulations, please note that confidentiality is not synonymous with anonymity. While the RIO will never share any information regarding your identity to anyone without an appropriate need to know, the Respondent or others intimately involved in the matter may still be able to deduce an anonymous Complainant's identity through situational clues which the RIO cannot obscure such as situations where only a small number of individuals had access to the information being shared, etc. However, all Respondents and others involved with a research integrity matter are bound by Penn State Policy AD67, which prohibits retaliation against those who raise concerns or otherwise participate in a research integrity matter in good faith.