Who we help — PhD students
Accused of breaching an institution's research integrity policy?
You have spent years on this work, and a single letter has made all of it feel uncertain. Before you reply to your institution, talk to someone who has read hundreds of these files.
“I did the work. I kept my notes. I don't understand how this became an allegation, and I'm terrified of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.”
That feeling is almost universal among the students we speak with. The shame arrives before any finding does, and the instinct is to explain everything quickly to whoever asks. A careful, documented response — filed on time, in the form your policy requires — protects you far better than a fast one.
The exposure
What's at stake for you
Your degree
A finding can delay your defense, trigger academic-integrity proceedings, or put your candidacy in question.
Your relationship with your institution
Many allegations begin inside the lab. You may be negotiating your defense and your day-to-day standing with your institution at the same time.
Your future in research
Postdoc offers, references and fellowship applications are all sensitive to an unresolved integrity file.
Your funding and status
Scholarships and stipends can be paused, and for international students a change in enrolment can affect study-permit status.
The clock
The first meeting comes faster than you think
You may have very little time before your first meeting with leadership, the meeting where you are told of the allegations. These cases can take a long time to play out, but the most important move happens before that first meeting: get counsel then, not after.
How SSG helps researchers
Advocate for you so that your narrative appears credible and valid to the Inquiry Panel and/or Internal Investigation Committee (the decision makers).
Act as a watchdog to ensure the institution maintains procedural fairness, and if it does not, help facilitate remedies.
Assist in obtaining the most favorable decision under the circumstances.
Enforce your rights and remedies, as a Complainant or Respondent, throughout the process.
Witness preparation: ensuring you are prepared for the case and that any of the Inquiry Panel's or Investigation Committee's questions are answered with care and diligence, in a manner that supports your rights, goals and case.
Evidence preparation and forensic defense, including data and lab record audits, image and plagiarism analysis, and addressing the standards associated with breaches of a research integrity policy and/or findings of research misconduct.
If you are faced with a finding of misconduct or breach of an integrity policy, options for appeal and challenge via the appropriate institutional, funder and legal frameworks.
Controlling and resolving any post-investigation collateral damage, including using negotiation to protect future funding eligibility, employment and grants, as well as managing and preserving relationships with journals and publishers.
Resources
Questions researchers ask first
Next step
Talk to someone who understands both the science and the process.
A research-integrity allegation doesn't have to end your career. Call (647) 618-4160 or send the form — we respond within one business day.
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