Research Integrity — Regulations
Last updated: 2026-07-01
The Institute for Social Vision Design (ISVD, hereafter "the Institute") has established the following three regulations to ensure the integrity of its research activities. This page provides a summary of each regulation for internal and external stakeholders.
Enactment and Effective Date
- Enacted: July 1, 2026
- Enacted by: Representative Director Naoya Yokota
- Effective from: July 1, 2026
- Legal basis: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) "Guidelines for Responding to Misconduct in Research Activities" (August 26, 2014); "Guidelines for Managing and Auditing Public Research Funds at Research Institutions (Implementation Standards)" (February 15, 2007).
Responsibility Structure
Representative Director Naoya Yokota concurrently holds the following roles.
| Role | Concurrent Holder | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Governance Officer | Representative Director Naoya Yokota | Oversees the entire Institute and bears ultimate responsibility for the management of competitive research funds |
| Chief Administrative Officer | Representative Director Naoya Yokota | Supports the Chief Governance Officer and holds substantive responsibility and authority for the management of competitive research funds across the Institute |
| Compliance Officer | Representative Director Naoya Yokota | Holds substantive responsibility for the management of competitive research funds within the Institute, monitors education implementation, and issues directives for improvement |
1. Research Ethics Education Rules
Regulation requiring all members engaged in research activities to complete research ethics training.
Summary
- All members are required to complete APRIN eAPRIN (research ethics e-learning provided by the Association for the Promotion of Research Integrity) or equivalent research ethics training
- Members who have not completed the training shall not be assigned to the management of competitive research funds
- The Compliance Officer monitors training completion status and provides necessary directives
- A pledge form confirms members' intent to comply with rules, refrain from misconduct, and accept the consequences of violations
- As a transitional measure, existing members shall complete the training by the end of August 2026
Structure (20 articles)
- Articles 1-3: General provisions, purpose, definitions
- Articles 4-7: Responsibility structure, implementation
- Articles 8-10: Training plan, implementation, review
- Articles 11-14: Completion management, comprehension assessment, record retention
- Articles 15-19: Response to non-completion, pledge form
- Article 20: Transitional provisions
2. Research Data Management and Disclosure Rules
Regulation on the appropriate management, retention, and disclosure of data generated from research activities.
Summary
- Research data shall be redundantly stored across four systems: BigQuery, Cloud Storage, Zenodo, and GitHub
- Upon publication, a DOI shall be assigned via Zenodo to ensure permanent access to the dataset
- To prevent data fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, all raw data, processing history, and analysis code shall be retained
- The default retention period is 10 years (based on the open science policy)
- Data containing personal information shall be subject to anonymization and access controls
Structure (22 articles)
- Articles 1-4: General provisions, purpose, definitions, scope
- Articles 5-9: Data management structure, storage methods, retention periods
- Articles 10-14: Data disclosure, usage conditions, citation format
- Articles 15-19: Personal information protection, anonymization, access control
- Articles 20-22: Response to violations, amendment procedures
3. Research Misconduct Response Rules
Regulation on the receipt of reports, investigation, and disciplinary measures in the event of research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism).
Summary
- A reporting channel shall be established to receive misconduct reports from both within and outside the Institute
- A preliminary investigation shall be conducted within 30 days of receipt to determine whether a full investigation is warranted
- A full investigation shall be completed within 150 days of receipt (as a general guideline in the regulation), followed by a determination
- The investigation committee shall include a majority of external experts
- Investigation committee members shall have no direct conflict of interest with the Institute, the reporter, or the subject of the report
- The protection of reporters (prohibition of adverse treatment, assurance of anonymity) shall be strictly enforced
Structure (47 articles)
- Articles 1-9: General provisions, responsibility structure, definitions
- Articles 10-19: Reporting channel, receipt of reports, preliminary investigation
- Articles 20-29: Full investigation, investigation committee, determination
- Articles 30-36: Reporting to funding agencies, cooperation with investigations
- Articles 37-42: Disciplinary measures, appeals, re-investigation
- Articles 43-47: Record retention, amendment procedures, supplementary provisions
For details on the reporting channel, please see Reporting Channel for Research Misconduct.
Obtaining Full Regulation Texts
The full texts of the three regulations are retained by the Institute as electronic files (Markdown format). Originals can be provided upon request from auditors, investigators, or collaborating research institutions.
To request a copy of the regulation texts, please use the regulation request form (the subject will be pre-selected when you access this link).
In addition to the three regulations above, the Institute maintains the following regulations (also available for auditor review).
| Regulation | Main Content |
|---|---|
| Harassment Prevention Rules | Harassment prevention, consultation channel, disciplinary measures |
| Accounting Procedures | Accounting processing, approval procedures, record retention |
| Board of Directors Operating Rules | Board operations, resolutions, records |
| Conflict of Interest Policy | Identification, disclosure, and response to conflicts of interest |
| Information Security Policy | Management of information assets, access control, incident response |
| Employment and Salary Rules | Employment conditions, salary, disciplinary measures |
| Donation Acceptance Rules | Donation acceptance criteria, records |
| PR Communication Guidelines | Standards and verification processes for external communications |
Revision History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-07-01 | Initial enactment (three regulations enacted simultaneously: Research Ethics Education Rules, Research Data Management and Disclosure Rules, Research Misconduct Response Rules) |
Contact
For questions or comments regarding the regulations, please use the research integrity inquiry form.