Issues Related to Research Ethics and Plagiarism

dorottya.szasz
Jul 27, 2024
5 min read

1. Introduction to research ethics and plagiarism

When performing and reporting on research, scientists, like all other professionals, are held to greater ethical standards than regular individuals. The concepts underlying this social compact are known as research ethics, scientific integrity, scientific obligation, or responsible conduct in research. Researchers must also follow discipline-specific ethical guidelines, such as the proper treatment of human or animal subjects, however this is not the focus of this article. Furthermore, scientists are evaluated by their peers based on whether they followed these higher ethical norms, or, in other words, conduct their study with scientific integrity, fulfilling their societal mandate.

In academic settings, plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use, possession, or representation of someone else's words, sentences, paragraphs, ideas, or data as one's own, including directly copying text, borrowing another's line of thought, and presenting or translating information without proper citation. Self-plagiarism is also defined as using or presenting the same or similar text in several assignments, including submitted work from another student and information found online or from other sources, without adequate citation and consent from all original writers. It is typically considered an academic integrity violation by most academic institutions, and the consequences for self-plagiarism differ from those for plagiarized work. Overall, the severity of the penalty varies according to individual institutions and student levels.

2. Types and Examples of Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism refers to the verbatim copying of a piece or the full document. If one or more words or sentences in a document are modified sporadically and insignificantly, it is still deemed direct plagiarism. Professors also view a partial and indecipherable quotation with suspicion. The latter will wonder if the student has not excluded cherry-picked sections or if the quoted section is not part of a larger extract that was duplicated. Copy/paste is not the same as integrating and citing information from another source. Furthermore, removing chunks of a large article or a PDF without a logical or consistent link to the student's work is prohibited.

Mosaic plagiarism, sometimes known as 'patch writing', is a more subtle kind of plagiarism. It occurs when the contents of a document are significantly altered by substituting synonyms where possible, transforming active sentences into passive ones, changing the structure of paragraphs, and changing the form of specific words. The patch written document will retain the same words, sentences (but altered), structure, paragraphs, concepts, and underlying topic. In a patch written document, the student provides the author with an initial idea by incorporating some of his or her own thoughts, but not enough to make the assignment unique. Although 'patch writing' plainly indicates deceptive behavior, it is not reference, a proper citation, or explanation. This is significant in any case, because, as previously stated, all claims of plagiarism include either textual borrowing or data exploitation. It is vital to mention that patch writing is a special sort of deception and intellectual dishonesty, because writing is regarded the most significant skill for students, and it is a skill students are intended to master at the university level.

3. Application of research ethics in different fields

While the basic concepts of research ethics apply to research in a variety of disciplines and fields of study, their interpretation and application may differ. As a result, many codes of conduct have been produced that are specific to different fields of study, and some professional groups have also developed their own ethics statements appropriate to the specific activities of their profession. However, standards and guidelines produced for a specific area or "field" of research are likely to be founded on the same fundamental principles, but they are tailored to the challenges and circumstances in which research is conducted in that area or discipline. .For example, social scientists have developed guidelines for research ethics that are specifically tailored to the conduct of research in their field.

Each of the fundamental concepts that comprise the broad worldwide framework of research ethics must be understood in the light of the individual situation and field in which they are applied. The need to consider multiple interpretations of each concept is particularly significant because it is not always obvious that what is considered "good practice" or "ethical behavior" in one area would apply to another. However, the fundamental point of research ethics is universal: every person conducting research has a responsibility to ensure that their research is well planned and conducted, that it is done in a kind and harm-limiting manner, and that it progresses by sharing results and acknowledging the work of others.

4. Common ethical issues in research

All research begins with an idea, followed by the formulation of a research topic and a conceptual framework that guides the actions to be carried out. This is followed by a review of the literature, and then the researcher's own plan for developing and refining research questions and/or hypotheses. A research technique is then implemented, with data collected and analyzed. The findings of the investigation are then summarized in a report or dissertation. Research has a number of ethical issues due to the numerous judgements that must be taken during these steps. The effectiveness, scientific reliability, and fairness of the research are determined by the quality of the responses to the ethical concerns that come from these decisions. Is this research question important? How honest and open should I be in my literature review? How much weight should I give prior studies in comparison to my own hypotheses? To what extent should the wishes of the participants influence the research processes, values, and objectives? What happens if I disagree with my supervisors on certain issues?

Each research creates its own ethical area and values, which are shaped by these types of problems in the context of its own uniqueness. All studies are intrinsically tied to circumstances and individuals. Great research is frequently distinguished by subtle aspects that are tough to replicate or that meet an unforeseen need

4.1 Ethical considerations in data collection and analysis

Data collection and analysis involve numerous difficult ethical concerns. The first issue relates to the use of secrecy and confidentiality. For a variety of reasons, researchers may need to utilize some type of obfuscation. This is not limited to graphs and covert work in which the researcher assumes a fictitious identity but includes all cases in which the true goals of the research are concealed from the subjects (a process known as "good concealment") and cases in which specific details about the goals are not disclosed ("bad concealment").

Concealment is common when research must be conducted in settings that do not already allow open access, such as during athletic events or when monitoring activity in acute care units or hospitals. However, there are three valid reasons for researchers to be worried about the use of concealment. The right to informed consent and voluntariness may be jeopardized; the principle of trust between researchers and their subjects may be brought into question; and the study's findings may be less reliable as a result of the participants' reactions to the researcher's hidden presence. Other concerns of balance and neutrality may occur when the researcher interacts with the subjects.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion research ethics and plagiarism are fundamental elements in the realm of academic and professional research. Maintaining ethical standards ensures that the research process is carried out with honesty, respect, and responsibility, creating confidence among the scientific community and the general public. Plagiarism, whether direct or indirect, such as mosaic plagiarism, weakens the validity of a study and discredits the researcher.