"The Department must lead Federal efforts to ensure robust scientific integrity policies because science is the very foundation of our mission."
- Former Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell, December 17, 2014

Purpose

Scientific and scholarly information considered in OSMRE decision making must be robust, of the highest quality, and the result of as rigorous scientific and scholarly processes as can be achieved. Most importantly, it must be trustworthy. This policy applies to all OSMRE employees, including political appointees, as well as, contractors, cooperators, partners, permittees, leases, grantees, and volunteers when they engage in, supervise, manage, or influence scientific and scholarly activities, or communicate information about OSMRE and the Department’s scientific and scholarly activities, or utilize scientific and scholarly information in making agency policy, management or regulatory decisions.

Scientific and Scholarly Misconduct Definition

• Fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing scientific and scholarly activities, or in the products, reporting or application of results
• Intentionally circumventing policy that ensures integrity of science and scholarship
• Actions that compromise scientific and scholarly integrity—does not include honest error or differences of opinion

Why Do We Have This Policy?

In response to the Presidential Memorandum on Scientific Integrity, March 9, 2009, Secretarial Order No. 3305, and the December 17, 2010, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies issued by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy on Scientific Integrity Former Secretary Salazar signed Departmental Manual Chapter 305 DM 3 detailing the scientific integrity policy for the Department of the Interior entitled Integrity of Scientific and Scholarly Activities on January 28, 2011, and revised on December 16, 2014. (Part 305: Chapter 3)

View the Transmittal Sheet for this update

View the Handbook

For more information on this Policy or its process, please contact Cecil Slaughter, OSMRE Scientific Integrity Officer, at cslaughter@osmre.gov or visit the DOI web page at: https://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity/.