Report: Management Implication Report: Extramural Research and Scientific Integrity Concerns
Report # 25-N-0041, July 7, 2025
Why We Did This Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General has identified a concern with the EPA’s requirement that extramural research reports be submitted to the EPA via email.
Summary of Findings
The OIG has concerns with the EPA’s requirement that awardees submit federally funded research reports via email. Email providers go to great lengths to obscure the originating IP address from an email’s header information. This makes it very difficult to determine the location from which the email was sent. The location is useful for identifying whether a research report was sent from within the United States.
Report Materials
Full Report - 25-N-0041 (pdf) (1.37 KB)
OIG Independence of EPA
The EPA's Office of Inspector General is a part of the EPA, although Congress provides our funding separate from the agency, to ensure our independence. We were created pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.
Environmental Protection Agency | Office of Inspector General
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (2410T) | Washington, DC 20460 | 202-566-2391
OIG Hotline: 1-888-546-8740.