Truth, fact and ethics in academic research

1. Truth, Fact and Ethics in
Academic Research
Dr. Utpal Das.
Deputy Librarian, LNB Library,
Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
Copyrighted to Dr. Utpal Das, Dibrugarh
University

2. TRUTH

3. What is Truth?
the quality or state of being true
State which is in accordance with fact or
reality
a fact or belief that is accepted as true.
"scientific truth"

4. Scientific truth
A scientific truth is a truth which is the object of a
repeated experimental demonstration which leads to
the same result
Characteristics of Scientific Truth are:
reproducibility, verifiability, falsifiability

5. Falsifiability?
Falsifiability is the assertion that for any potential
hypothesis, it must be inherently disprovable before it
can become accepted as a scientific hypothesis or
theory.
According to the philosopher Karl Popper, falsifiability
defines the inherent testability of any scientific
hypothesis

6. What is Truth in Research?
Science never accepts that any hypothesis, or theory, is
completely true
Theory is seen as a tool that is assumed true, until falsified

7. The major disadvantage of falsifiability is that it is
very strict in its definitions and does not take
into account the contributions of sciences that are
observational and descriptive

8. FACT

9. What is fact?
A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with
objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence
or
A fact is a statement that can be proven true or false after
verification
or
A fact is a statement about the real world supported by
convergent evidence

10. Type of Facts
empirical
analytical
evaluative
metaphysical

11. Empirical fact
Empirical facts are verified by observation;
When we think of facts, we think first of empirical
facts, the conclusions of convergent scientific
observation.
Is historical facts are Empirical fact?
Historical facts are also empirically verifiable through
the convergent observations of the past as recorded
in primary sources.
Untested claims & False claims are not facts

12. Untested claims in Empirical Research
When evidence to support an empirical claim is not
convergent
or
Evidence is not supported by other observations, giving
us inadequate grounds for asserting the claim as fact
Ex: Presence of Alien /Extra terrestrial Intelligent Life

13. False claims in Empirical Research
False claims are contradicted by the relevant evidence or
other convergent evidence
Ex: The claim that the world is flat is supported by the
visual evidence of our eyes

14. Analytical Fact:
Analytical facts are governed by the rules of a symbol
system.
The consistency of analytical facts are verifiable with the
rules of a symbol system provided there is convergent
evidence of their accurate usage within a symbol system
Ex: 8 + 1 = 9; any definition; use of correct words

15. Evaluative facts
Evaluative facts are verified by applying objective
standards of value
Evaluative claims may require expert judgment.
Experts use trained senses and deep learning to
apply evaluative standards.

16. Metaphysical facts
Metaphysical facts are verified by revelatory evidence or self-
evidence.
Revelatory evidence is the record of the communications of
divinity with humanity, found in religious traditions or sacred
texts.
Expert judgment may be required to determine whether
revelatory claims are true.

17. Metaphysic
It is the study of the most fundamental
concepts and beliefs about them.
Examples of metaphysical concepts:
Being, Existence, Purpose, Universals, Property,
Relation, Causality, Space, Time, Event, and
many others

18. Example for Metaphysical Fact:
The claim that all men are created equal is
verifiable by self-evidence.
The axiom of equality must be accepted as self-
evident in order to have just government.
Accordingly, we assume it to be true without
external evidence.

19. Characteristics of Fact
fact has to be of epistemic quality of being
ontologically superior to opinion or interpretation
a statement of fact is verifiable through repetitive
tests
it can be demonstrated to correspond to experience
scientific facts can be measured by experiments or
other means

20. Fact differs from
i. opinion and
ii. belief

21. Opinion
An opinion is an expression of a person’s feelings that
cannot be proven
An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is
not conclusive
Opinions can be based on facts or emotions and sometimes
they are meant to deliberately mislead others.

22. Opinion Vs Fact
“Do you like looking at a smoggy view from a congested
highway? How do you feel about fighting road hugs and
bumper to bumper traffic everyday? Mass
transportation is the solution to all these problems”
“With fewer cars on the road, there would be less air
pollution and traffic noise; therefore, the use of mass
transportation should be encouraged”

23. Effect of Opinion on Research
 when a scholar reads, it is important to judge facts and
opinions carefully in order to come to the right conclusion
 emotional language is neither right nor wrong, but the way
in which it is used can be positive or negative
 it is up to the researcher to make reasonable judgement
about the material you are reading and to draw your own
conclusion
 it is important to be aware of the author’s purpose and
choice of language. Sometimes, the author lets the facts
speak for themselves.

24. How to resolve the dilemma
Ask yourself:
“are the facts reliable?”
or
“are the opinions based on the facts?”
Get answer to these questions, you may be on the right
track for finding and sticking to the facts; you be the
judge.

25. Belief
According to Oxford English Dictionary
“An acceptance that something exists or is true,
especially one without proof” or “something one accepts
as true or real” or “a firmly held opinion”
According to Justin Primmer (2018)
Belief is a mental representation of an attitude positively
oriented towards the likelihood of something being true
In epistemology, the term "belief“ refers to personal
attitudes associated with true or false ideas and
concepts

26. Belief Vs fact
Nehru expressed the belief that “India will win the Indo-
China War of 1962 perhaps without any casualty”
The fact is that India was defeated in the Indo-China
War of 1962 with more than 3250 casualties

27. Facts transcend belief and serve as concrete descriptions
of a state of affairs on which beliefs can later be assigned

28. .
A Venn/Euler diagram which grants that truth and well-
justified belief may be distinguished and that
their intersection is knowledge

29. Academic Research

30. What is research?
Oxford English Dictionary:
The systematic investigation into and study of materials
and sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.

31. According to The Research Excellence
Framework, (2014)
Research is "a process of investigation leading to
new insights, effectively shared.” Research is a
multi-stage process. Ethics are central to the
research process.

32. Purpose of Research:
Research is a tool by which one can find an
answer of his or her query and advance
knowledge
or
The purpose of research is really an ongoing
process of correcting and refining hypotheses,
which should lead to the acceptance of certain
scientific truths

33. Two Basic Characteristics of Research Work:
Novelty
Originality

35. Academic Research Output
Assignments
Project Reports
Research Papers/Articles
Book Chapters
Dissertations
Thesis

36. Research Ethics

37. Research Ethics
Ethics are the moral principles that govern a
person’s behaviour
Research ethics may be referred to as doing what
is morally and legally right in research
Norms for conduct that distinguish between right
and wrong, and acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour

38. According to The Research Excellence Framework,
(2014)
• Researchers need to take care of various ethical
issues at different levels of research process

39. According to Bickman & Rog, 2009
• The reality is there can be ethical concerns at
every step of the research process
• Even though few aspects of research ethics have
been set out in legislation, moral values mostly
govern the conduct of research

40. With the advent of technology, more and more
ethical issues have been arising in the field of
communication research

41. Research ethics provides:
guidelines for the responsible conduct of research
educates scientists conducting research, and
monitors to ensure a high ethical standard

42. Economic of Social Research Council, UK adheres
six key principles for ethical research are:
• research should aim to maximise benefit for individuals and
society and minimise risk and harm
• the rights and dignity of individuals and groups should be
respected
• participation should be voluntary and appropriately informed
• research should be conducted with integrity and
transparency
• lines of responsibility and accountability should be clearly
defined
• independence of research should be maintained and where
conflicts of interest cannot be avoided they should be made
explicit.

43. Some ethical principles:
• Honesty:
Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures,
and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or
misrepresent data
• Objectivity:
Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data
analysis, data interpretation, peer review, personnel
decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other
aspects of research

44. • Integrity:
Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity;
strive for consistency of thought and action
• Openness:
Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to
criticism and new ideas

45. • Respect for Intellectual Property:
Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of
intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data,
methods, or results without permission. Give credit
where credit is due. Never plagiarize
• Confidentiality:
Protect confidential communications, such as papers or
grants submitted for publication, personnel records,
trade or military secrets, and patient records

46. • Social Responsibility:
Strive to promote social good and prevent or
mitigate social harms through research, public
education, and advocacy
• Non-Discrimination:
Avoid discrimination against colleagues or
students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or
other factors that are not related to their
scientific competence and integrity

47. • Competence:
Maintain and improve your own professional
competence and expertise through lifelong education
and learning; take steps to promote competence in
science as a whole
• Legality:
Know and obey relevant laws and institutional
and governmental policies.

48. • Animal Care:
Show proper respect and care for animals when using
them in research. Do not conduct unnecessary or poorly
designed animal experiments
• Human Subjects Protection:
When conducting research on human subjects,
minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits;
respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy

49. • Respect and Protect Traditional Knowledge

50. What are research misconducts?
Fabrication - making up data or results and recording or
reporting them
Falsification - manipulating research materials, or
changing or omitting data or results such that the
research is not accurately represented in the research
record
Plagiarism - the appropriation of another person's ideas,
processes, results, or words without giving appropriate
credit

51. END