Code of Ethics

We the faculty members and Research  staff of KCG College of Technology, Chennai, hold that our profession as scholars entails an unqualified commitment to the pursuit of truth, dedicated to the promotion of the public good, and a sustained interest in mentoring students and fellow Researchers. We uphold the vision and mission of the institution and to promote the interests of greater community along with our efforts maintain the ideals of scholarly integrity and academic freedom.

To support our drive to maintain standards of Research  Integrity the institution is compliment with the agreement to support Research  integrity.

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of rigor and integrity in all aspects of Research.

1. Research Integrity –Code of Ethical Practice in Research  policy sets out required standards of all our Researchers integrity expected of all our Researchers. It includes the Research  ethic review process and the areas of Research  to which they apply.
2. The Research Head who acts as the point of contact for questions about Research  Ethics and integrity. And provides necessary advice and guidance on an individual basis, which may include training workshops and/or seminars.
3. Ensuring that Research is conducted according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frame woks, obligationsand standards.
4. The institution level Research Ethics and Governance committee regulates and monitors the work of Research . Ethics advisory group and the applications for ethics review and provide advance and guidance and facilitate navigation of routes for applicant of relevant requirements.
5. In order to support the development of Researchers learning training and monitoring opportunities are provided.
6. The Research  Department provides training for scholars in Research  Ethics review process when and where necessary.

Our practice as researchers should advance the knowledge, mission, and values of our profession, and maintain and enhance its validity through rigorous study, active dissemination and discussion, and responsible criticism. Thus, all faculty, research staff, and students should fulfill the responsibilities and obligations stated below:

A.Competence in the conduct of research 

1. Conduct all research activities in accordance with the accepted standards of our discipline
2. Refrain from accepting or undertaking research assignments requiring competencies that we do not have, unless collaborating with or being supervised by a more knowledgeable scholar.
3. Avoid claiming or implying a degree of research competency that we do not possess in proposals, job applications, resumes, or in the ordinary conduct of affairs

B.Accuracy of research data and reports 

1. Ensure the accuracy of all data that we and our collaborators have gathered and/or used in our research

2. Ensure that only the correct data, information, and research results shall be reported in journals, conferences, and reports to clients in case of commissioned research.

3. Take reasonable steps to rectify significant errors that we or others have found in our published data, via the issuance of erratum, retraction, or correction of the data
4. Avoid misleading statements or declarations and vague assertions that could be subject to misinterpretation.  If such misinterpretation is brought to our attention, it is our obligation to immediately issue a clarification or rectification.

5. Avoid making exaggerated claims that are not warranted by the results of our research inquiry

C.Acknowledgment of sources of data/information or other contribution to the research 
 

1. Not to plagiarize; that is, to present portions of another’s report or data as our own, even if the other work or data source is cited occasionally
2. Cite clearly all sources of information and data that we use which are not the results of our own research
3. Give proper acknowledgment and credit to resource/funding sources of our research
4. Grant and limit authorship to those who made a significant contribution to the research Endeavor.

1.Plagiarism

Authors who present the words, data, or ideas of others with the implication that they own the same, without attribution in a form appropriate for the medium of presentation, are committing theft of intellectual property and may be guilty of plagiarism and thus of Research  misconduct. This statement applies to reviews and to methodological and background/historical sections of Research  papers as well as to original Research  results or interpretations. If there is a word-for-word copying beyond a short phrase or six or seven words of someone else’s text, that section should be enclosed in quotation marks or indented and referenced, at the location in the manuscript of the copied material, to the original source. The same rules apply to grant applications and proposals, to clinical Research  protocols, and to student papers submitted for academic credit. Not only does plagiarism violate the standard code of conduct governing all Researchers, but in many cases it could constitute an infraction of the law by infringing on a copyright held by the original author or publisher.

The work of others should be cited or credited, whether published or unpublished and whether it had been written work, an oral presentation, or material on a website. Each journal or publisher may specify the particular form of appropriate citation. One need not provide citations, however, in the case of well-established concepts that may be found in common textbooks or in the case of phrases which describe a commonly-used methodology. Special rules have been developed for citing electronic information.

 In citing one’s own unpublished work, an author must be careful not to imply an unwarranted status of a manuscript. A paper should not be listed as submitted, in anticipation of expected submission. A paper should not be listed as accepted for publication or in press unless the author has received galley proof or page proof or has received a letter from an editor or publisher stating that publication has been approved, subject perhaps only to copy-editing.

Researchers should not publish the same article in two different places without very good reason to do so, unless appropriate citation is made in the later publication to the earlier one, and unless the editor is explicitly informed. The same rule applies to abstracts. If there is unexplained duplication of publication without citation, sometimes referred to as self-plagiarism, a reader may be deceived as to the amount of original Research  data.

Publication of Research  results is important as a means of communicating to the scholarly world so that readers may be informed of Research  results and other Researchers may build on the reported findings. In fact, it is an ethical obligation for an investigator at the Institution to make Research  findings accessible, in a manner consistent with the relevant standards of publication. The reported data and methods should be sufficiently detailed so that other Researchers could attempt to replicate the results. Publication should be timely but should not be hastened unduly if premature publication involves a risk of not subjecting all results to adequate internal confirmation or of not considering adequately all possible interpretations.

It is unethical, and harmful to the academy, to present as one’s own the work of others, whether in part or in full, to fabricate Research  results or to omit or change information.

It is inappropriate and unacceptable to submit extracts from Research, or reports on the same Research , to more than one publisher, unless such action has been approved by the editors of each publication or multiple submissions is the acceptable standard practice in the specific discipline or field. In the complete report on the work in question, reference should be made to preliminary extracts from work that has already been published.

2. Obligation to Report 

2. a. Reporting Suspected Misconduct 

Reporting suspected Research misconduct is a shared and serious responsibility of all members of the academic community. Any person who suspects Research misconduct has an obligation to report the allegation to the HoD of the department in which the suspected misconduct occurred or to the HeadResearch. Allegations are handled under procedures described in the Institution’s Policy. All reports are treated confidentially to the extent possible, and no adverse action will be taken, either directly or indirectly, against a person who makes such an allegation in good faith.

2. b. Correction of Errors

If a finding of error, either intentional or inadvertent, or of plagiarism should be made subsequent to publication, the investigator has an obligation to submit a correction or retraction in a form specified by the editor or publisher.

3. Responsibilities of a Research Investigator

An investigator who leads a Research group has leadership and supervisory responsibilities with respect to the Research  performed by members of the group. A principal investigator must not only put together the Research  group but also arrange for the assembly of an adequate financial and administrative structure to support the Research. A supervisor not only provides guidance and advice to individual members of the group in the responsible conduct of the Research  but also has ultimate responsibility for the scientific integrity of the whole Research  project. He or she should thus take all reasonable steps to check the details of experimental procedures and the validity of the data or observations reported by members of the group, including periodic reviews of primary data in addition to summary tables, graphs, and oral reports prepared by members of the group.

An investigator should be aware that the same standards of accuracy and integrity pertain to grant applications and proposals as to manuscripts submitted for publication. Reporting of results of experiments not yet performed as evidence in support of the proposed Research  funding, for example, is considered to be fabrication and is subject to a finding of Research  misconduct, even if the proposal is subsequently rejected for funding or is withdrawn before full consideration for funding is completed. The same definition of plagiarism applies to an application or proposal, including background and methodological sections, as to a publication.

An investigator must submit progress and final Research reports to a sponsor at times specified in the award. He or she must authorize expenditures in a manner consistent with the approved budget and should review financial reports carefully.