Scientific Conduct- Ethics, Intellectual honesty & research integrity.pdf

Scientific Conduct-
Ethics, Intellectual honesty & research integrity
DR. MAHESH H. KOLTAME
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,
SNDT WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY, MUMBAI-20

Agenda / Topics
1. Introduction
2. Ethics with respect to science and research
3. Intellectual honesty
4. Research integrity
5. Conclusion
30 June 2022 DR. MAHESH H. KOLTAME 2

Let’s recall…
Write any one reason & feature of the research work.
(Write your responses in brief in chat box in English/Marathi/Hindi)

Introduction
➢ Curiosity and the self-driven efforts to satisfy personal curiosity form the basis of research.
➢Research involves systematic and creative investigations in any domain of
knowledge, be it about philosophical or materialistic issues, or anything in this Universe that can
be perceived by our senses.
➢ Research starts with questions for which a researcher wishes to seek answers. The researcher
may be involved alone in this act of seeking answer, or may involve a group or groups with
whom the collaborates.

Purpose of research work
To create new knowledge
To expand existing knowledge
To Contextualize knowledge
To correct existing knowledge
To solve problems
To satisfy curiosity

2. Ethics with respect to science and
research
“To be sure, it is impossible to prove the rightness of any ethical
principles, or even to argue in its favour in just the manner in
which we argue in favour of a scientific statement. Ethics is not a
science. But although there is no ‘rational scientific basis’of
ethics, there is an ethical basis of science and of rationalism”.
– Karl Popper

What is ethics?
➢Ethics are norms of conduct that distinguish between acceptable and
unacceptable behaviour.
➢As per the Cambridge University Dictionary of English, the word Ethics implies,
a system of accepted beliefs that control behavior, especially a system that is
based on morals.
➢Ethical conduct is a simple common sense that helps one to preserve the
integrity of the individual, society and environment based on shared values.

Research ethics
➢Research ethics involves the application of fundamental ethical
principles to a variety of topics involving scientific research.
➢Research code of ethics educates and monitors a scientist
conducting a research to ensure a high ethical standards.
➢Research ethics are the set of ethics that govern how scientific and
other research is performed at research institutions such as
universities, and how it is disseminated.

Importance of Research Ethics
Research ethics are important for a number of reasons.
❑ They promote the aims of research, such as expanding knowledge.
❑ They support the values required for collaborative work, such as mutual respect and fairness.
This is essential because scientific research depends on collaboration between researchers and
groups.
❑ They mean that researchers can be held accountable for their actions. Many researchers are
supported by public money, and regulations on conflicts of interest, misconduct, and research
involving humans or animals are necessary to ensure that money is spent appropriately.
❑They ensure that the public can trust research. For people to support and fund research, they
have to be confident in it.
❑They support important social and moral values, such as the principle of doing no harm to
others.
Source: Resnick, D. B. (2015) What is Ethics in Research and Why is it Important?

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH ETHICS
01
02
03
04
Honesty
Responsibility Openness
Autonomy

1. Honesty
The trustworthiness of scientific research is based on the Intellectual and
operational honesty. So, the researcher should keep in mind the following
things to maintain honesty in his scientific research.
❑ Strictly avoid unacceptable practices such as fabrication, falsification, and
plagiarism.
❑ The research results must be documented and justified.
❑ In the presentation of experimental results, it should be represented within its full
context and not overstated.
❑ In communication with the public, scientific results should be presented
accurately and in its complexity, to avoid false expectations and over-
simplifications.
❑ Personal opinions or speculations must be presented as such, and should not be
presented as facts.

Continue…
To ensure the trustworthiness of research, researcher should be
honest when reporting objectives, methods data analysis results
conclusions etc.
This requires accurate and balance reporting when:
➢ presenting and interpreting research
➢ making claims and recommendations based on finding
➢ acknowledging the work of other researcher
➢ applying for the research funding
➢ reviewing and evaluating research

Continue…
Researchers must uphold the standards of quality in their field and
honestly do the following things:
✓ Intellectual property and publication rights must be respected.
✓ Research results are developed, reviewed and published in a transparent and
unbiased manner.
✓ Authorship and inventorship shall be assigned only with genuine intellectual
contribution.
✓ In the case of research-related activities, the expertise of staff members shall be
considered before accepting/distributing tasks, to overcome favouritism.
✓ R v w ss ss ’s s s s ll b b s s l l s
grounds.
✓ In educational or mentorship capacities, these activities shall be performed at the
highest level of current knowledge.

4. Professional freedom
Scientific researchers, academic staff and students shall operate in a context of academic
freedom and independence. This independence should guard against commercial, political, and
personal interests, were needed, which could undermine the professional freedom of others.
➢Scientific design and research approach should be chosen principally to achieve
scientific goals.
➢External sponsors of scientific research shall allow for timely publication of research
results, and shall not impede the academic progress of students.
➢Potential conflicts of interest which would test a researcher’s and administration member’s
independence shall be disclosed.
➢Avoid situations where the researcher’s scientific objectivity would be compromised.

3. Openness
To ensure the credibility of scientific reasoning and to ensure that academic
reflection is consistent with practice in the relevant field of research, all phases
of research should be a transparent
This requires openness when reporting:
- Conflict of interest
- Planning of research
- Research methods applied
- Result and conclusion

Continue…
➢ Open, unbiased, and respectful communication and behaviour is essential to a healthy scientific community.
➢ Intellectual contributions and scientific discourse are necessary for a healthy academic climate.
➢Insights and critics are welcome from all, irrespective of academic rank.
➢Respect for all colleagues without discrimination based on gender, age, ethnicity, national origin, religious beliefs, sexual
orientation, or academic rank.
➢As an academic community we defend freedom in thought, research, expression, and the exchange of views and
information.
➢As an academic community we allow and encourage others to develop or take their own intellectual stance in research,
design and education.
➢As an academic community we reject all forms of abuse of position and other forms of harassment and degrading
treatment.
➢ Publication of research results shall be presented such that its results may be replicable.
➢ After publication, research data, design process, and results should be made accessible to colleagues for re-use

4. Professional responsibility
Scientific researchers, academic staff and students are accountable for their research and
related activities from idea to publication.
➢ Researchers, staff and students maintain a high standard of adherence to principles of integrity
and ethical standards in their work, fully respecting the Code. Evading and covering unethical
behavior, even if such conduct or action is justified under the name of obedience and loyalty,
undermines the integrity of science research.
➢Training, supervision and mentorship should be treated with the highest degree of
professionalism.
➢In cases of possible harm or risks to other persons, scientific data, or consequences of scientific
results are to be reported.
➢In the research and its design, the code of ethics with respect to human and animal subjects
are involved must be upheld.

Ethical codes cover the following areas
▪Reliability and Integrity
▪Objectivity
▪Carefulness
▪Respect for Intellectual Property
▪Genuineness
▪Novelty in Publication
▪Protection of Subjects: Human/Animal
▪Confidentiality
▪Agreement for Consent
Source: Resnick, D. B. (2015) What is Ethics in Research and Why is it Important? List adapted from Shamoo A and Resnik
D. 2015. Responsible Conduct of Research, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press).

Reliability and Integrity
Research project must be honest and diligent work of the
scholar. This applies to the methods employed for the
project (what you did), data collection, analysis of results,
and whether it has been previously published. One should
not make up any data, including extrapolating unreasonably
from some of their results, or do anything which could be
construed as trying to mislead anyone. It is better to
undersell than over-exaggerate your findings. When
working with others, one should always keep to any
agreements, and act sincerely.

Objectivity
We should aim to avoid bias in any aspect of your
research, including design, data analysis,
interpretation, and peer review.

Carefulness
Take care in carrying out your research to avoid
careless mistakes. You should also review your
work carefully and critically to ensure that your
results are credible. It is also important to keep
full records of your research. If you are asked to
act as a peer reviewer, you should take the time
to do the job effectively and fully.

Respect for Intellectual Property
You should never plagiarise, or copy, other people’s
work and try to pass it off as your own. You should
always ask for permission before using other people’s
tools or methods, unpublished data or results. Not
doing so is plagiarism. Obviously, you need to respect
copyrights and patents, together with other forms of
intellectual property, and always acknowledge
contributions to your research.

Genuineness
Researcher should always be prepared to share data and
results, along with any new tools that have been developed,
when he/she publishes his findings. This helps to further
knowledge and advance science. Work must be reviewed
carefully and critically to ensure that the results are
credible. It becomes curial to keep full records of your
research. If you are asked to act as a peer reviewer, you
should take the time to do the job effectively and fully.

Novelty in Publication
You should publish to advance to state of
research and knowledge, and not just to
advance your career. This means, in
essence, that you should not publish
anything that is not new, or that duplicates
someone else’s work.

Protection of Subjects: Human/Animal
If research involves people, researcher should make sure
that he/she minimizes any possible physical harm to the
subject, and maximizes the benefits both to participants
and other people.
One should always respect human/animal rights, including
the right to privacy and autonomy.

Confidentiality
You should respect anything that has been provided
in confidence. You should also follow guidelines on
protection of sensitive information such as
demographic information.

Agreement for Consent
Researchers must consider whether respondents are
competent to give consent and free to volunteer it. In the
case of minor (anyone under the age of 18), the consent of
parents/guardian must be secure and, if possible and
appropriate, the children’s assent should also be sought.

Let’s share
Share your any one experience that was
violated research ethics.
(Write your responses in brief in chat box in English/Marathi/Hindi)

Ethical Issues in
Research
Research
Topic
Collaboration
Mentoring
mentors and
mentees
relationship
Ethical and general issues
regarding the choice of the
specific questions pertaining
to research, principles of
collaboration and roles of
and relationship between
mentors and mentees.

Lets think
When you select research topic for your research which things you
will be consider?

Intellectual honesty
- We have a moral duty to be honest. This duty is especially important
when we share ideas that can inform or persuade others.
- Intellectual Honesty combines good faith with a primary motivation
toward seeking true beliefs.
- This includes all forms of scholarship, consequential conversations such
as dialogue, debate, negotiations, product and service descriptions,
various forms of persuasion, and public communications such as
announcements, speeches, lectures, instruction, presentations,
publications, declarations, briefings, news releases, policy statements,
reports, religious instructions, social media posts, and journalism
including not only prose and speech, but graphs, photographs, and other
means of expression

3. Intellectual honesty in research
- Intellectual honesty is honesty in the acquisition, analysis, and transmission of ideas. A person is
being intellectually honest when they, knowing the truth, state that truth.
- Intellectual honesty is an applied method of problem-solving, characterized by an unbiased,
honest attitude, which can be demonstrated in a number of different ways including:
✓Ensuring support for chosen ideologies does not interfere with the pursuit of truth;
✓Relevant facts and information are not purposefully omitted even when such things may
contradict one's hypothesis;
✓Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions
or to support one view over another;
✓References, or earlier work, are acknowledged where possible, and plagiarism is avoided.
Source: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Intellectual_honesty

4. Research integrity
Research integrity may be defined as active adherence to
the ethical principles and professional standards essential
for the responsible practice of research.
◦ By active adherence we mean adoption of the principles and
practices as a personal credo, not simply accepting them as
impositions by rule makers.
◦ By ethical principles we mean honesty, the golden rule,
trustworthiness, and high regard for the scientific records.

Research integrity
“For individuals research integrity is an aspect of moral character
and experience It involves above all a commitment to intellectual
honesty and personal responsibility for ones actions and to a range
of practices that characterize responsible research conduct”.
- National Achievement Survey.
“Properlyacknowledgingtheworkofothersinpapers,theses,anddisserta
tions;andfollowingethicalandresponsiblepracticeswhenconductingre
search.”
-UNMGuidetoGraduateStudies.

Research integrity
Good research practices are based on fundamental principles of research integrity.
These principles are:
• Reliability in ensuring the quality of research, reflected in the design, the methodology, the
analysis and the use of resources.
• Honesty in developing, undertaking, reviewing, reporting and communicating research in a
transparent, fair, full and unbiased way.
• Respect for colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage and the
environment.
• Accountability for the research from idea to publication, for its management and organisation,
for training, supervision and mentoring, and for its wider impacts.

Reference
Central institute of technology, (2018)Code of Scientific Conduct and Research Integrity, Brno,
Czech republic.
Chaddah Praveen (2018) Ethics in Competitive Research: Do not get scooped; do not get
plagiarized, ISBN: 978-9387480865.
Kambadur Muralidhar, Amit Ghosh & Ashok Kumar Singhvi (Edi.), (2019), ETHICS in Science
Education, Research and Governance, Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India.
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/research-ethics.html
https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Intellectual_honesty#cite_note-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_honesty

Thank you!

Scientific Conduct- Ethics, Intellectual honesty & research integrity.pdf

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