ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
POLICY AND PROCEDURE STATEMENT
Academic and Administrative Affairs TITLE:
I.
Reference
AA
Issued By
PRESIDENT
Section Serial No. No. of Pages
4 1-1 4
Responsible Officer Date Issued Date Revised
VP-AA 10 February 2004 18 March 2022
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION
PURPOSE To set forth the policies and procedures for academic integrity in research and publication.
II.
DEFINITIONS Research is the creative expression of scholarship upon which the quality of teaching and viability of the Institute’s graduate programs hinge. There are basically three different types of research which are recognized and supported by the Institute: 1. Independent research is based on the faculty’s interests and capabilities in the academic areas of the Institute. This is usually carried out in conjunction with student research. 2. Sponsored research is based on specific areas of interest of the Institute, mainly funded by sponsors, and supplemented by Institute subsidies. Research may be sponsored by a government agency, private or non-government organization, foundation, or individual. Sponsored research projects are based on problems relevant to the development of the region and to the education of AIT students who are being prepared to participate in the development of their own countries. Such research projects involve both faculty and students, the participation of the latter to be as part of their master or doctoral degree requirements. The direct beneficiaries of research output are the profession, society or country. 3. Contracted research is based on the specific needs and interests of external clients who underwrite the cost of the research in return for access to the results. The external client expects to benefit from the research delivered to the client, usually in the form of reports, software or prototypes. Contracted research may entail confidentiality and restriction on publication. Research outputs invariably result in publications in journals, conference proceedings, books, and the like. Publication helps disseminate the research results for furtherance of research endeavors, for scrutiny by peer groups, and for utilization of applicable information for public good.
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III.
PUBLICATION AND AUTHORSHIP Publication record is perhaps the most important measure of performance of academic institutions. High quality publications are indispensable for promotion of faculty to higher academic ranks. Authorship of academic papers is thus highly valued. Authorship, however, confers responsibility and accountability of the information contained in the manuscript. Authors of research papers, for example, implicitly endorse that the research was conducted as it is described. Authors must be responsible for what has been written in return for the credit and recognition that authorship brings. 1. It is to be expected that each author/co-author has: (a) made a significant contribution to the article design, data analysis and interpretation, and other scholarly effort, (b) participated in the article preparation, and (c) approved the manuscript. 2. For any multi-authored article based on a student thesis, research study or dissertation, the student should normally be the first author, unless there is documented evidence that the journal required that the authorship should be written in a different order. However, the Chair of the student’s Program Committee should serve as the corresponding author with any journal. 3. If the student is the sole author of an article based on his/her thesis, research study or dissertation, the student serves as the corresponding author with any journal. 4. Authorship is not sufficiently justifiable where participation is only through acquisition of funding, collection of data, general supervision of a research unit, or performance of normal duties of a research support staff. 5. Honorary or courtesy authorship is not acceptable.
IV.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT All members of the AIT community are expected to comply with the relevant Institute policy and procedures in the conduct of research and to observe high standards of academic integrity and ethical behavior in publishing research outputs by selfregulation and by adherence to professional standards. Serious deviations from commonly accepted practices in the academic community constitute academic misconduct, including, but not limited to the following: 1. Deliberate fabrication of information, including falsification of data, credentials or other academically-related information. 2. Appropriation of research work done by others, including plagiarism – e.g. presenting methods, data or conclusions from a research project in which one has had no involvement, and direct copying of textual material – with intentional omission of acknowledgements.
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3. Use of data of a confidential nature, particularly that of a contracted research where secrecy may be necessary for a limited period, for one’s personal advantage or that of a third party. 4. Intentional or reckless violation of the principles of authorship. 5. Other conduct which seriously deviates from accepted ethical standards in scholarship. 6. Difference of interpretation or judgment, or honest error, do not constitute academic misconduct.
V.
STUDENT RESEARCH PLAGIARISM CHECK To guard against plagiarism, all student research reports will be subjected to electronic plagiarism checking before they are sent out to external examiners and before final defense is conducted. A. The Chair confirms in the Dissertation Dispatch Form that the dissertation has been subjected to electronic plagiarism checking and cleared. B. Guidelines and Process for Final Plagiarism Check 1. The student submits the final research report – dissertation/thesis/research study/project/internship – to the electronic plagiarism checking system at least 14 days before the final examination. 2. The system returns the Originality report to the IT Services Unit. 3. Within one week, the IT Services Unit reviews and analyzes the Originality report and sends the Originality report to the Chair of the student’s research committee. 4. If the submitted paper is likely to contain plagiarized material, the IT Services Unit also sends a remark to the Chair. 5. The Chair reviews the Originality report and informs the student. 6. In case of plagiarism, the Chair requests the student to correct the report. 7. The student makes the corrections and submits the corrected version to the Chair. 8. The Chair approves the scheduling of the dissertation/thesis/research study/ research project final examination. The final examination will be delayed if the student can not submit the corrected version within the specified time.
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9. The Chair confirms in the Record of Comprehensive Examination or Record of Thesis/Research Study/Project Examination that the report has been subjected to electronic plagiarism checking and cleared. C. Any attempt to circumvent the plagiarism check is considered a form of academic misconduct.
VI.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION Any member of the AIT community who is aware of academic misconduct in research or publication may report the incident or practice to the School Dean or directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The procedures for disciplinary actions shall be according to the Institute Policy and Procedures on Employment of Faculty and of Staff: General Work Regulations and Student Handbook (section on Student Code of Conduct).
Effective date of Student Research Plagiarism Check (Section V): 15 August 2007
Modification History:
Related Policies Keywords Rationale for Revisions:
1st Revision 10 Jul 2007 Reviewed By: Institute Education Council 2nd Revision 5 Feb 2008 (minor) 3rd Revision 19 Nov 2010 4th Revision 7 Feb 2011 5th Revision 18 Mar 2022 Employment of Faculty and Staff: General Work Regulations; Student Handbook (section on Student Code of Conduct) •
(18 Mar 2022) Administrative restructuring and minor edits
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(7 Feb 2011) For articles where the student is the sole author, the student serves as the corresponding author with any journal. (19 Nov 2010) For a multi-authored article, the Chair of the student’s Program Committee should serve as the corresponding author with any journal; Transferred management of the electronic plagiarism checking to the IT Services Unit (from the Library). (5 Feb 2008) Specified research reports in V. B. 1. (10 Jul 2007) Included guidelines and process for final plagiarism check for student research reports.
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