Page 103 - Academic and Research Book_WEB

or omitting of data results in such a way that the research is not accurately represented in the
research records.
• Plagiarism is appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving
appropriate credit where it is due. It is presentation of someone else’s research plan, manuscript,
article or text or parts thereof as one’s own. It is illicit presentation or use of an original research
idea, plan or finding disclosed to someone in confidence under one’s own name, for example,
taking the research idea, text or plan from the manuscript submitted for peer reviewing process
for the purpose of evaluation, or from already published work.

Plagiarism can easily be detected these days using softwares such as,“iThenticate, Turnitin or Urkund”.
The power of detecting plagiarism of individual software varies and depends on the ‘backup data’
present in them. That is why they do not give the same results. Although, plagiarism can easily be
detected these days but other types of scientific dishonesty is difficult to detect/check. There lies the
importance of integrating ‘academic integrity’ in our psyche and character. Once detected, a scientific
dishonesty can destroy the life-long earned reputation of a researcher. The reputation earned over
one’s whole life can be destroyed by a single act of deception.

Good Scientific Practices

Researchers ought to follow some good scientific practices as are listed here:

1. Maintaining integrity, meticulousness and accuracy in conducting research and in evaluating,
recording, and presenting results.
2. Collecting the data ethically.
3. Taking due account of peer researchers and giving due credit to them in publications.
4. Planning, conducting, and reporting the research according to the laid down scientific
standards.

5. Determining and recording of status, rights, co-authorship liabilities and obligations of the
research team in an acceptable way.

6. The sources of funding and other associations are made known to all the participants of the
research team and to public.

7. Observing good administrative practices and personnel and financial management.

Poor Research Behaviours

Behaviours that must not be adopted/practiced are:

1. Falsifying or making-up research data.
2. Copying text from others’ work without giving due credit to them.
3. Using other’s ideas without obtaining permission or giving due credit.

4. Unauthorized use of confidential information in connection with one’s own research.
5. Failing to present data that contradicts one’s own previous research.
6. Overlooking other’s use of flawed data or questionable interpretation of data.
7. Changing the design, methodology or results of a study in response to pressure from the
funding source.
8. Ignoring major aspects of human subject requirements in human data collection.

92 | University Grants Commission