Intellectual Honesty and Research Integrity Gangotri Chakraborty Research

Intellectual Honesty and Research Integrity Gangotri Chakraborty

Research Integrity defined Research integrity can be defined as the 'trustworthiness of research due to the soundness of its methods and the honesty and accuracy of its presentation Draft Singapore Statement 2010 Research integrity broadly refers to the thoughtful and honest adherence to relevant ethical, disciplinary, and financial standards in the promotion, design, conduct, evaluation, and sharing of research. The Continuum from Research Integrity to Research Misconduct, Michigan State University

Principles of Research Integrity 1. Honesty 2. Reliability 3. Use of robust research methodologies 4. Impartiality and independence 5. Open communication 6. Duty of care for participants 7. Fairness 8. High standards of mentorship and supervision 9. Awareness of responsibilities to society

Ethical conduct for research, teaching and evaluations involving human participants

Graduate Roles, Responsibilities and Professional Identity • Developing a sense of yourself as a disciplined member of your professional community involves: – 1. 2. 3. 4. Personal commitment and dedication Self discipline, self-motivation, organization, time management, goal-orientation Producing and disseminating new knowledge or creative work 5. Responsible and ethical conduct in the academic enterprise

What do we mean by Academic and Research Integrity? • Academic and research integrity are the core values that underlie: A. The responsible and ethical production, an B. The fair and respectful dissemination of research & scholarship and C. Creative work in institutions of higher education.

• The Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) at Clemson University defines academic integrity as: “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: – honesty, – trust, – fairness, – respect, and – responsibility. • From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals to action. ”

To whom does academic and research integrity apply? • • Students Faculty Staff “The ability of the university to achieve its purposes depends upon the quality and integrity of the academic work that its faculty, staff, and students perform. ” (Rights, Rules, Responsibilities. Princeton University 1995. )

What does academic and research integrity involve? • Academic integrity includes, but is not limited to, honesty and fairness in quizzes, examinations, and assignments; properly acknowledging the work of others in papers, theses, and dissertations; and following ethical and responsible practices when conducting research.

Research Integrity Means Trust • The Scientific research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the results reported by others are valid. Society trusts that the results of research reflect and honest attempt by scientists to describe the world accurately without bias. But this trust will endure only if the scientific community devotes itself to exemplifying and transmitting the values associated with ethical scientific conduct. ”

What is at stake in academic and research integrity? Nothing less than public trust in the research, writing, and creative work produced at the university. “Academic freedom can flourish only in a community of scholars which recognizes that intellectual integrity, with its accompanying rights and responsibilities, lies at the heart of its mission. Observing basic honesty in one’s work, words, ideas, and actions is a principle to which all members of the community are required to subscribe. ” (Rights, Rules, Responsibilities. Princeton University 1995. )

Scientific Integrity Plan (“SIP”) • This Scientific Integrity Plan (“SIP”) establishes appropriate standards. • Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (“RECR”) serves as a central resource for Responsible Conduct of Research [RCR] guidance and coordinates RCR instruction on campus. As of January 2019, the UGC has made it mandatory to follow the research and Publication Ethics [RPE] To achieve excellence in research and maintain public trust in research outcomes, an environment that promotes and fosters the Academics with Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research (“RCR”) is critical.

Responsible Conduct of Research RCR is an umbrella concept

The Code - major ethical principles • • Respect for persons Minimisation of harm (participants, researchers, institutions and groups) • Informed and voluntary consent • Respect for privacy and confidentiality • Avoidance of unnecessary deception • • Avoidance of conflict of interest Social & cultural sensitivity to the age, gender, culture, religion and social class of participants • Justice

Responsible Conduct of Research 1. Conflict of interest and commitment 2. Ethical use of human and animal subjects in research 3. Authorship and publication 4. Data acquisition, management, ownership, and sharing 5. Peer review 6. Mentor and mentee relationships 7. Research misconduct (plagiarism, fabrication, falsification) and whistleblower ethics 8. Collaborative research, including with industry 9. The scientist as a responsible member of society.

Research Misconduct defined The violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scientific_misconduct . . . (research that) deviates from practices commonly accepted in the discipline or in the academic and research communities generally in proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting research and creative activities The Continuum from Research Integrity to Research Misconduct Michigan State University

Definition: Misconduct • Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. • A. Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them • B. Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record

C. Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. • D. Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion. • E. Destruction of research records: …to specifically avoid the detection of wrongdoing or in contravention of the applicable funding agreement, institutional policy and/or laws, regulations… •

• E. Redundant publications: re-publication of one’s own previously published work or part there of, or data…without adequate acknowledgment…or justification. • F. Invalid authorship: Inaccurate attribution of authorship, including attribution of authorship to persons other than those who have contributed sufficiently to take responsibility for the intellectual content.

• G. Redundant publications: re-publication of one’s own previously published work or part there of, or data…without adequate acknowledgment…or justification. • H. Invalid authorship: Inaccurate attribution of authorship, including attribution of authorship to persons other than those who have contributed sufficiently to take responsibility for the intellectual content

• I. Inadequate acknowledgement: Failure to appropriately recognize contributions of others. • J. Mismanagement of Conflict of Interest: …in accordance with the Institution’s policy on conflict of interest in research.

Whistle Blowing Misconduct • Whistle blowing Misconduct is: – Fabrication, Falsification, Plagiarism • Questionable Research Practices (not amounting to Miaconduct) – Poor data management, record keeping, or note taking • When should you speak out or prepare evidential Document? – Where criminal action is involved; Research misconduct has occurred; Physical injury or loss of life could result; and/or Facilities, equipment or materials and resources are at risk

Authorship Authors named on a publication should: • Have made a creative and significant intellectual contribution to the research; • Have given their permission to be named as an author; • Not be named as an author solely on the basis of being the supervisor of the researcher or student undertaking the research, or the leader of the research group, where a creative and significant contribution has not been made to the research; • Not be involved solely in writing the publication, unless contributing to critically revising the interpretation. •

RCR Certification 1. Responsible Conduct of Research certification can be attained by: 2. Attending symposia, 3. Brownbag discussion groups, 4. Contact-hour courses (that can be customized to need and range from 8 weeks to 2 days) 5. Receiving RCR instruction that provided within existing courses or professional development seminars, such as workshops

How do we recognize academic and research integrity? • We tend to recognize academic integrity in the breach. v. Cheating on quizzes and exams v. Plagiarizing in written work or verbal presentations v Fabricating data or bibliographical information v. Unauthorized collaboration v Falsifying grades v. Misrepresenting oneself to gain advantage

What are the causes of the rise of cheating and plagiarism? • • • Peer acceptance Availability and ease of internet sources Lack of understanding about academic integrity Lack of institutional or classroom policies or codes of conduct Lack of detection Lack of consequences Product oriented assignments and examinations High stakes assignments and examinations Pressure to succeed and achieve

As a student, what can you do to ensure compliance? • Practice and model the values of academic integrity: ü Honesty ü Trust ü Fairness ü Respect ü Responsibility

As a student, what can you do to ensure compliance? • Take careful notes and document your sources and data. • Give yourself sufficient time to complete assignments—avoid last minute rush. • Trust yourself: your ideas expressed in your own words are valuable. • Consider the value of learning for its own sake. • Consider the consequences.

Processes involved in preparing and applying i) Risk assessment sections Risk of harm Informed and voluntary consent Privacy and confidentiality Deception Conflict of interest Compensation Procedural

• ii) Identifying, discussing & dealing with ethical issues • Identify issues by talking with several ‘experts’ o Consider ‘worst case’ scenarios • Discuss design to mitigate issues, minimise problems o Further thinking about participants or procedures may be required e. g. - Unicef (2013). Ethical research involving children www. childethics. com - Visual methodologies and confidentiality • Communicate fully -with committee in application -with participants in Information Sheet Aim to achieve the best research through negotiation with the Human Ethics Committee: - for you - for participants

• iii) Thinking ethically about cultural issues • Partnership, participation & protection • Principles of respect, informed consent and privacy apply to collectives • Principle of research adequacy – acknowledgement and ethical paradigm, a relationships rather than principlist paradigm Bishop, R. (1996). Collaborative Research Stories: Whakawhanaungatanga. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.

Matters subject to disciplinary action • Appropriate disciplinary procedures and sanctions shall be applied to any student who commits, or attempts to commit, any of the following acts of misconduct: • Academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; hindering the academic work of other students; misrepresenting academic or professional qualifications within or without the University; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records.

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