Research and publication ethics (RPE) are essential principles that guide the conduct of research and the dissemination of research findings. These principles are crucial to maintaining the integrity of the scientific and academic community. It is important for researchers, authors and publishers to be aware of and adhere to these principles to maintain the credibility and integrity of the academic and scientific community. UGC has introduced this RPE mandatory course for research scholars of all Indian Universities.
This book's main goal is to present a clear, thorough description of the various ethical context issues that are essential for both research and publication. This ‘mandatory course’ book is prepared to serve the educational purposes of students, teachers, teacher educators, research scholars, student-teachers, researchers etc. for developing a better understanding about the different concepts related to research and publication ethics and may be found valuable by its users.
Prof. (Dr.) Noushad Husain, Principal in Maulana Azad National Urdu University, College of Teacher Education, Bhopal, is the author/editor of numerous books and books chapters, articles and professional papers on different aspects of Higher Education. He has been associated with teaching for the last more than twenty-one years. His research interest areas are — Research Methodology, Web and Internet Technologies, ICT in Education, Content Knowledge, Reflective Thinking, E-learning, Web-Based Learning, Computer-Assisted Teaching Environments, Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching and Differentiated Instruction. He is actively engaged in research, training, consultancy and social service programmes.
Preface/ vii
List of Figures/xii
1. Introduction to Philosophy/ 1
Meaning of Philosophy / 1; Concept of Philosophy / 2; Definitions of; Philosophy / 3; Nature of Philosophy / 5; Scope of Philosophy / 6; Branches of Philosophy / 7; Why Study Philosophy / 18
2. Introduction to Research/ 20
What is Research? / 20; Definitions of Research / 20; Why to Do; Research? / 21; Process of Scientific Research / 22; Scientific Method / 22; Types of Knowledge Contributed by Research / 23; Purpose of; Research / 24; Significance of Research / 24; Characteristics of; Research / 25; Features/ Criteria of Good Scientific Research / 25; Aims and Objectives of Research / 26; Classification of Research / 28
3. Introduction to Research Philosophy/ 35
Research Philosophy / 35; Definitions of Research Philosophy / 36; Need and Significance of Research Philosophy to Researchers / 36; Assumptions of Research Philosophy/ Branches of Research Philosophy/Ways of Thinking about Research Philosophy/ Philosophical Realms / 36; Research Paradigm / 39; General Characteristics of a Value-based Research: Axiological Approach / 45
4. Introduction to Ethics/ 48
Meaning of Ethics / 48; Definitions of Ethics / 49; Why is Ethics Important? / 49; Difference between Ethics and Values / 50; Difference between Morals and Ethics / 50; Difference between Law and Ethics / 51; Types of Ethics / 52; Making Ethical Decisions: Core Ethical Values / 53; Scope of Ethics / 54; Branches of Ethics / 54; Moral Philosophy / 57; Branches of Moral Philosophy / 59; Moral Reasoning / 61; Skills for Moral Expertise / 62; Moral Consciousness / 62; Moral Judgment / 63; Moral Development / 68; Moral Development Theories / 68
5. Research Ethics/ 77
Meaning of Research Ethics / 77; Need of Research Ethics / 78; Why do Research Ethically / 78; Importance of Research Ethics / 78; Importance of Ethical Codes and Considerations in Research / 79; Principles of Research Ethics / 80; Ethical Conduct of Research / 82; Ethical Codes for Conduct of Researchers / 83; Codes and Policies for Research Ethics / 83; Moral Principles and Professional Standards in Research / 86; Meaning of Research Integrity / 86; Definitions of Research Integrity / 87; Fundamental Principles of Research Integrity / 88; Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research / 88; Integrity in Research / 89; Intellectual Honesty / 90; Importance of Intellectual Honesty / 91; Philosophical Basis of Intellectual Honesty / 92; Intellectual Honesty in Proposing, Performing, and Reporting Research / 94; Unethical Publication / 94; Selective Reporting or Reporting Biases / 98; Taxonomy of Putative Determinants of Selective Reporting / 102; Misrepresentation of Data / 104; Mis-representation and Distortion of Research / 104
6. Publication Ethics/ 108
Meaning of Publication Ethics / 108; Importance of Scientific Publication / 109; Characteristics of Responsible Research Publication / 109; Role and Responsibilities of Authors / 114; Role and Responsibilities of Editor / 122; Role and Responsibilities of Reviewers / 136; Publication Ethics-related Organizations and their Role in Providing Best Practices/Standard Setting for Scholarly Publication / 139; Conflicts of Interest (CoI) and Conflicts of Commitment (CoC) / 155; Conflicts of Commitment / 158; Handling Complaints and Appeals / 158; How to Handle Complaints / 160; Appeals / 163; How to Handle Author Misconduct / 163; How to Handle Reviewer Misconduct / 164
7. Citation Indexing and Databases/ 166
What is Indexing? / 166; Meaning of Citation Indexing / 166; History of Citation Indexing / 167; Principles of Citation Indexing / 167; Definitions of Citation Index / 167; Meaning of Citation Indexes / 168; Terminology Used in Citation Index / 168; Mechanism of Citation Index / 169; Why is Citation Indexing Essential? / 169; Advantages of Citation Indexing / 169; Uses of Citation Index / 170; Major Citation Indexing Services / 170
8. Research Metrics/ 196
What are Metrics? / 196; Research Metrics / 196; Author-Level Metrics / 209; Article-Level Metrics / 210; Journal/Publication-Level Metrics / 212; Institution-Level Metrics / 214; Measuring Journal Impact / 214; Tools to Measure Journal Impact / 215; Measuring Author Impact / 234; Popular Research Indices Currently Used / 243; Comparison of traditional and Alternative Metrics Sites / 243
9. Open Access Publishing/ 246
Meaning of Open Access (OA) / 246; Definitions of Open Access / 247; Benefits of Open Access / 247; Characteristics of Open Access / 249; Open Access Publication / 249; Conditions of Open Access Publication / 250; Benefits of Open Access Publishing / 251; Types of Open Access / 251; Creative Commons Licences (CCL) / 253; Who Benefits from Open Access? / 254; Open Access Tools / 255; Self-Archiving / 261; How to Find your Publishing Agreement and Permissions / 264; RoMEO (Publishers’ Copyright and Archiving Policies) / 264; Predatory Publishing / 269; Predatory Journals / 271; Evaluation Tools for Identifying Predatory Journals and Publishers / 273; COPE’s Suggestions to Avoid Predatory Journals and Publishers / 289; Journal Selector/Finder/Matcher Tools / 290
10. Scientific Research Misconduct and Best Practices/ 311
Why to Publish? / 311; Scientific Research Misconduct / 312; Research Misconduct / 312; Definitions of Scientific Research Misconduct / 313; Motivation to Scientific Research Misconduct / 315; Classification of Scientific Research Misconduct / 315; Taxonomy of Scientific Research Misconduct Ranked by Seriousness / 316; Forms of Scientific Research Misconduct / 317; Varieties of Scientific Research Misconduct and its Consequences / 322; At What Stages Can Misconduct Occur? / 323; Measures to Maintain Research Ethics and Avoid Scientific Research Misconduct / 324; Ethical Behavior in Professional Scientific Research / 324; Avoiding Scientific Misconduct / 324; What is Publishable or not Publishable? / 325; Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines on Good Publication Practice / 325; How to Prevent Scientific and Research Misconduct / 332; Role and Responsibilities of the Editor in dealing with Research Misconduct / 333; Ethical Requirements for Researchers / 333
References 335