GUIDELINES AND CODE OF ETHICS FOR RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

The purpose of this code is to maintain integrity in research, satisfy a scientific moral code and also to lead to better results. The adherence to such ethical research in practice can lead to attention towards the research details, meaningful collaboration among investigators and to maintain highest standards. The guidelines will help a researcher in preventing research misconduct.

Research misconduct can be understood as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism including misrepresentation of credentials in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in reporting research results. It is viewed seriously by the University, professional community and respective funding agency.

These guidelines can be treated as a common repository for both experienced researchers and beginners in research. Any doubts on ethical standards a researcher should discuss confidentially with academic supervisors/advisors, colleagues, or Dean of Research.

The following matters are of prime ethical concern of a researcher

• 1. Plagiarism:
  • Authors should not present the words, data, or ideas of others as they are the owners of the same.
  • Committing theft of intellectual property
  • Word-for-word copying must be avoided. Presently it is allowed only up to four words only. If it is a must then that should be enclosed in quotation marks or indented and referenced properly.
  • The work of others should be cited or credited. (It might be published or unpublished, even if had been a manuscript, or part of an oral presentation, or material available on websites).
  • Follow strictly the rules specified by a journal or publisher.
• 2. Use and Misuse of Data
  • Every author must follow Research integrity.
  • Report both the conclusions based on accurately recorded data or observations and also relevant observations reported by earlier researchers. It is considered to be a breach of research integrity if one fails to report data that contradict or merely fail to support the present conclusions.
  • Do not withhold purposefully any information about confounding factors.
  • Reasons must be stated if any data should be disregarded.
  • A large background of negative results also must be reported.
• 3. Ownership of and Access to Data
  • Any data obtained during research study conducted at the Institute or University by employees are the property of the institute but not the researcher who generated or observed or even of the principal investigator.
  • Searchers are responsible and accountable for the integrity of the data even after they leave the Institute.
  • Access to any data should normally not to be denied to any member of the research group in which the data were collected.
  • If there is any possibility of copyright or patent application might emerge, a written agreement within the group specifying the rights of each member must be made.
  • A researcher who has made a finding which may be patentable should file an Invention Disclosure with the Office of The Principal or Management.
  • Any investigator who leaves the Institute is entitled to make a copy of data to use elsewhere to enable him to continue the research but he must properly give credentials to both the organizations for any outcomes of further research.
  • Each member of research group should come to an understanding with principal investigator, preferably in writing, about which parts of the project he or she might continue to explore after leaving the group.
  • Every investigator has an obligation to the general responsible scientific community to cooperate by sharing of data usually by request and after publication.
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• 4. Authorship and Other Publication Issues
  • Publication of research outcomes and results is important so that scholarly world may be informed and other researchers may build up on the findings. It is an ethical obligation for an investigator at any Institute to make findings accessible and consistent with the standards of publication.
  a. Criteria for Authorship
  • Authorship should be awarded only to those persons who have made and involved in original and significant contribution to the conceptualization, design, execution and interpretation of the published work.
  • Individuals who have made smaller contributions by giving advice, performing analyses or providing subject material, or who have supported the research in some or other way, should also be acknowledged. The principal author should determine whether or not these individuals should be included as authors.
  • Written permission has to be obtained from the parties to be acknowledged in the published work.
  • All authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and should be prepared to accept responsibility for the work in public. Each author or co-author is responsible for the compilation, revision and verification of those parts of the manuscript, publication or presentation representing his/her contribution. All co-authors are entitled to making their own copies thereof, including figures and attached documents.
  • It is the responsibility of the author(s) to be au fait with other appropriate publications and to quote from them.
  • It is unethical, and harmful to the Institute, to present as one's own the work of others, whether in part or in full, to fabricate research results or to omit or change information.
  • Any author wish to quote information from unpublished material should obtain written permission from the source.
  • It is unacceptable to submit outcomes or results or reports of research, to more than one publisher, unless prior permission is taken from the editors of each publication.
  b. Order of Authors
  • All co-authors must agree in advance to the order of authorship.
  • A corresponding author (usually the first or last of the names listed in the manuscript) should be designated for every research article/paper. This author is responsible for communication with the editor or publisher.
  • The corresponding author is responsible for informing all co-authors regarding the status of publication and to vouch for integrity of the report and able to understand and defend each and every part of the report.
  c. Self-citations
  • An author must be careful while citing his own unpublished work.
  • A paper should not be cited in anticipation of expected submission or acceptance by publisher.
  • A paper should not be listed as accepted for publication or in press unless the author has received a proof or a letter from editor/publisher stating that the submitted paper has been approved for publication.
  d. Duplicate Publication
  • Any researchers should not publish the same article/paper in two places without any good reason to do so. He may do if appropriate citation is made in the later publication to the earlier one and the editor is informed beforehand. This is also applicable to abstracts also.
  • Any unexplained duplication of a publication without proper citation, can be termed or referred as self-plagiarism,
  • All manuscripts for publication must be accompanied by an undertaking that the work has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
  • An author should not divide a paper into a number of smaller papers merely to increase the number of items in his bibliography.
• 5. Conflict of Interest
  • All academic staff should not engage in outside professional activities and distract from their primary responsibility towards the MVJCE.
  • Everyone must be present on campus during every semester and do active duty. Leaves and holidays must be in accordance with the Institute’s regulations.
  • Every faculty must help in creating an atmosphere with academic freedom and promote an open and timely disclosure of results of all academic activities.
  • All researchers are free to use the resources of the Institute, including facilities, equipment, information etc. They cannot use these resources for any purpose other than purposes related to Institution, unless prior permission has been obtained by the authorities of the Institute.
  • Researchers must disclose all patentable inventions discovered created during their service to the Institute in reasonable amount of time. Ownership of such inventions to share any benefits or royalties earned is dealt in accordance the Institute’s policy.
  • Similarly any consultation work outside is dealt as per the policy of the Institute. Any way formal permission must be taken before proceeding to do such work.
  • The Institute name and logo can be used by researchers after taking permission from the Institute.
• 6. Obligation to Report
  a. Reporting Suspected Misconduct
  • Any research misconduct must be reported and is a serious responsibility of all members of the Institute.
  • Any person who suspects has an obligation and must report the allegation to the higher authorities.
  • Allegations are handled as per the policy of the Institute.
  • All reports will be treated confidentially, and no adverse action against any person will be taken who makes allegations, either directly or indirectly, in good faith.
  b. Correction of Errors
  • If any errors found subsequent to publication, intentional/ inadvertent / of plagiarism, the corrections must be submitted by the author to the editor/publisher. It is an obligation of all authors.
• 7. Responsibilities of a Research Investigator
  • The leader of a research group is responsible for the research performed by the members of group.
  • A principal investigator is also responsible for adequate support to the research.
  • A research supervisor provides guidance and advice to each member, takes the responsibility for scientific integrity of the research project.
  • The supervisor should take all steps to check the experimental details and the validity of observations reported by any member of the group and also documentation.
  • An investigator should serve as a research manager and mentor of students, research assistants and junior faculty for their overall development.
  • He should create awareness to several issues in research ethics.
  • A researcher must always be open to collaborative work.
• 8. Responsibilities to Funding Agencies
  • Any investigator must be aware of the standards of accuracy and integrity pertaining to research proposals.
  • No investigator must report fabricated results as evidence in support of the proposed research fund grants. The same plagiarism definition applies to research proposal applications also.
  • An investigator has an obligation to submit reports on research progress to sponsoring agency at times as specified in the award of grant. He/she must authorize all expenditures consistent with accounting standards.
  • Investigators in agreements with commercial sponsoring agencies of research should familiarize with all terms and conditions and should be in association with the Institute.