Faculty members at West Virginia University have an obligation and responsibility to conduct research. A significant component of WVU's land-grant mission includes gathering and analyzing data and then contributing this analysis to inform the discussion and understanding of various issues affecting the lives of West Virginians and others around the world.

Research conducted at WVU is data-driven, objective and independent. It is not influenced by any political agenda, business priority, funding source or popular opinion.

The research findings of WVU faculty and scholars are subject to intense review and challenge by academic peers - including review of data sources, methods and analysis - consistent with widely accepted practices of academic research in higher education.

Engaging in a rigorous protocol, WVU faculty and scholars can, and often do, reach varying and sometimes divergent conclusions when studying and testing similar data. Their work, however, is always informed and protected by the academic freedom that ensures the ability to choose and conduct research unfettered by bias, outside influence or external agendas.

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