Form letter E: To funding agency

Form letters are examples of appropriate letters for various situations. Please find below the text of Form letter E: To funding agency. You can copy this text and adjust it to your needs. The template is also available in Word S’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre or PDF S’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre format.

This form letter is used in the following decision trees:

1. Authorship complaints

2. Plagiarism complaints

3. Research results misappropriation

4. Allegations of research errors and fraud

Form letter E: To funding agency

[letterhead of the journal editorial office or the editor's general contact information]

[date]

[title of article, date of publication]

[agency address

name or title of agency officer]

Dear [officer],

Concern has been raised about the research reported in the article listed above, for which your agency provided (at least partial) funding. [IF APPROPRIATE ADD: Your agency also has promulgated its own ethical guidelines which may also be implicated.]

[The substance of the complaint is that {description}, which if true, would violate our publishing policies. {and your own guidelines}

OR

[Attached you will find a copy of the communication which raises the concern noted.]

I have separately written to the author in question and the institution at which the author is resident and have asked for a timely and substantive response to the allegations.

[Attached you will find a copy of the communication which raises the concern noted.]

I have separately written to the author in question and the institution at which the author resident and have asked for a timely and substantive response to the allegations.

[To date no such response has been forthcoming.]

OR

[I have received a response from the author and/or institution at which the author is resident and have asked for a timely and substantive response to the allegations.

[To date no such response has been forthcoming.]

OR

[ I have received a response from the author and/or institution [the substance of which is __________ /OR a copy of which is enclosed].

As your agency has had significant involvement with the underlying research, I believe it would be appropriate if your agency would initiate the appropriate investigation, and to keep me informed of your progress. The journal may revise the publication record, based on the results of your investigation and my editorial judgment.

Sincerely yours,

[editor name]

[editor-in-chief]

Copy: [author] [institution]