The U.S. Office of Research Integrity has been relatively quiet in 2025, releasing just two misconduct findings with only two weeks remaining in the year — the fewest the office has released since at least 2006. ORI typically releases an average of about 10 findings a year.
The office, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, oversees research integrity and misconduct for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other HHS agencies. Its team of scientist-investigators review institutional inquiries and investigate possible research misconduct for a portfolio of publicly funded biomedical research that totals tens of billions of dollars.
In response to questions on whether the office expects to release more rulings this year, an HHS spokesperson told us the office can’t comment on open cases or anticipated findings. “ORI’s Division of Investigative Oversight continues to carry out its oversight responsibilities, and staff actively engage in process improvements to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of responding to research misconduct allegations,” the spokesperson said.
As we reported earlier this year, ORI faced turbulence at the beginning of the Trump administration, when across-the-board cuts led to thousands of federal workers losing their jobs — although some were later reinstated. An archived version of the staff page from March 9, 2025, listed two dozen people working at ORI; the page has since been removed from the website.
When asked why the page listing the entire ORI staff was still offline, the spokesperson said, “the ORI website includes leadership information, which aligns with practices across federal offices.”
The statements came in response to an interview request with ORI director Sheila Garrity. (The request was not granted.) The HHS press office did not respond to follow-up questions.
ORI has also faced a fair amount of turnover among its leadership, with five directors in the last 20 years, often with long gaps between permanent leadership. Garrity has been in the position since March 2023.
In 2021, ORI released just three misconduct rulings. At the time a spokesperson told us COVID-related closures and staffing issues, among other reasons, were to blame for the low numbers.
Published rulings were also scarce in 2016, when ORI released just seven misconduct findings. Then-director Kathy Partin explained that a published misconduct finding is not the only outcome of their investigations. Some cases result in no finding of misconduct; others are closed for other reasons.
“While publishing notices in the Federal Register of findings of research misconduct is a very important part of ORI’s work, it is not our only endeavor,” Partin, who is now the director of research integrity for NIH’s Office of Intramural Research, told us at the time. “Our output is affected by a number of factors, including how many allegations we receive, whether they involve research misconduct, whether they are simple cases or complex.”
This article was authored by Kate Travis, and it was first published at Retraction Watch.
