Ethical Conduct in Research,
Scholarship and
Creative Activity |
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III.
DEFINITIONS
| A. |
Misconduct
in Research and Scholarship
Misconduct in research and scholarship means
any form of behavior which entails research
fraud, scientific misconduct, or an act
of deception whereby one's work or the work
of others is misrepresented. Misconduct
in research, scholarship and creative activity
is distinguished from honest error and from
ambiguities of interpretation that are inherent
in the research/creative process. The principal
element of misconduct in research, scholarship
and creative activity is the intent to deceive
others or misrepresent one's work. Misconduct
involves significant breaches of integrity,
which may take numerous forms such as, but
are not limited to, those outlined below:
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a. |
Falsification
of Data.
Falsification of data means activities ranging
from fabrication to deceptive or selective
reporting of findings and includes the omission
of conflicting data, the willful suppression
of data and/or the distortion of data with
the intent to falsify results. |
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b. |
Plagiarism.
Plagiarism means the misappropriation of
the work of another or one’s own work
and its misrepresentation as one's own original
work. Examples of academic dishonesty include,
without limitation, the following: (1) Verbatim,
word-for-word lifting of words without quotation
marks and without sources citation; (2)
Verbatim, word-for-word lifting of words
without quotation marks but with source
citation; (3) Paraphrasing words or using
ideas without citing to the source; (4)
Verbatim, word-for-word lifting of words
from the article or paraphrasing of those
words from the article without citing to
the article, but citing to the sources cited
by author in the article; (5) Lifting an
article’s structure and organization
without attribution; and (6) Paraphrasing
a sentence in such a way that with the replacement
of several words, it should be quoted. Plagiarism
does NOT require intent. In other words,
ignorance is not an excuse. |
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c. |
Improprieties
of Authorship.
Improprieties of authorship means
the improper assignment of credit, such
as excluding other authors; inclusion of
individuals as authors who have not made
a definite contribution to the work; or
submission of multi-authored publications
without the knowledge of all authors. |
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d. |
Misappropriation
of the Intellectual Property of Others.
Misappropriation
of the intellectual property of others
means the unauthorized use of proprietary
or private information (such as violation
of confidentiality in peer review), however
obtained.
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e. |
Violation
of Generally Accepted Research Practices.
Violation of generally accepted research
practices includes deceptive practices in
proposing, conducting, or reporting research.
This definition is expanded to include all
federal and state funded activities, not
just research activities. |
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f. |
Inappropriate
Behavior in Relation to Misconduct.
Inappropriate behavior in relation to misconduct
includes unjust and malicious accusation(s)
of misconduct; failure to report misconduct;
withholding or destruction of information
relevant to a claim of misconduct in research
and scholarship; or retaliation against
persons involved in the allegation or investigation
in research and scholarship who have not
acted in bad faith. |
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| B. |
Complainant
Complainant means an individual
who brings an allegation(s) of misconduct. |
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| C. |
Respondent
Respondent
means an individual against whom an allegation(s)
of misconduct is made. |
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| D. |
Number
of days to complete.
Calculated
in working days. |
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| E. |
Members
of the University Community
Members of
the University community means all faculty,
staff, and students, both full and part
time, who are affiliated with the University
of North Dakota. |
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| F. |
Inquiry
Inquiry means
information gathering and initial fact-finding
to determine whether an allegation or apparent
instance of misconduct warrants an investigation.
This is a paper review based on the documentation
received by the Vice President and questions
submitted by the Inquirer to either the
Complainant or Respondent for clarification.
After review of all of the documentation
including the written responses from the
Complainant and Respondent, a determination
may be made that follow-up interviews with
the Complainant or Respondent may be necessary
to complete the Inquiry. |
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| G. |
Inquirer
Person performing
an Inquiry. |
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| H. |
Investigation
Investigation
means the formal examination and evaluation
of all relevant facts to determine if misconduct
has occurred. |
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| I. |
Committee
of Investigation
Three-member
panel used as fact-finders in the third
phase of investigation. The CoI conducts
interviews to obtain information necessary
to make a determination regarding the allegations. |
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