PhD students to mandatorily learn about research and publication ethics
TNN | Dec 30, 2019, 04.04 PM IST
UGC has made a two-credit course compulsory at the PhD level looking at the increasing cases of plagiarism and publication misconducts
With an increase in researches, maintaining quality remains a concern for Indian universities. To introduce students to the basics of research, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a two-credit course on research ethics and publication misconducts.
All the PhD students will have to mandatorily pursue the 30-hour course from the academic session 2020-21. The course is divided into six units focussing on the basics of philosophy of science and ethics, research integrity, publication ethics and hands-on sessions to identify research misconducts and predatory publications.
"In the last 15 years, the number of cases related to unethical practices such as plagiarism, pay and publish have increased. The course follows the management principle known as Corrective and Prevention Actions (CAPA), which will help students identify and stay away from the predatory publishers and dubious journals," says Bhushan Patwardhan, vice chairman, UGC.
Earlier in 2009, the UGC had mandated a 12 credit course on research methodology with a few chapters on research ethics. But, the two-credit course is a more focussed approach to make students aware about the research ethics and the consequences of meddling with the rules, says Raja Shekhar Bellamkonda, director, Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), University of Hyderabad.
Students pursuing MPhil study about the research methodology as part of the coursework but those who pursue PhD after masters do not get similar exposure. "It will be a bridge for the students who are directly opting for research after pursuing postgraduate courses. Students will also get to learn about the tools to check plagiarism and importance of citations, which will pave the path for authentic research," he adds.
TNN | Dec 30, 2019, 04.04 PM IST
UGC has made a two-credit course compulsory at the PhD level looking at the increasing cases of plagiarism and publication misconducts
With an increase in researches, maintaining quality remains a concern for Indian universities. To introduce students to the basics of research, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a two-credit course on research ethics and publication misconducts.
All the PhD students will have to mandatorily pursue the 30-hour course from the academic session 2020-21. The course is divided into six units focussing on the basics of philosophy of science and ethics, research integrity, publication ethics and hands-on sessions to identify research misconducts and predatory publications.
"In the last 15 years, the number of cases related to unethical practices such as plagiarism, pay and publish have increased. The course follows the management principle known as Corrective and Prevention Actions (CAPA), which will help students identify and stay away from the predatory publishers and dubious journals," says Bhushan Patwardhan, vice chairman, UGC.
Earlier in 2009, the UGC had mandated a 12 credit course on research methodology with a few chapters on research ethics. But, the two-credit course is a more focussed approach to make students aware about the research ethics and the consequences of meddling with the rules, says Raja Shekhar Bellamkonda, director, Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), University of Hyderabad.
Students pursuing MPhil study about the research methodology as part of the coursework but those who pursue PhD after masters do not get similar exposure. "It will be a bridge for the students who are directly opting for research after pursuing postgraduate courses. Students will also get to learn about the tools to check plagiarism and importance of citations, which will pave the path for authentic research," he adds.
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