Dear Miranda,

Yes, I would underline the teaching of ethics to all post-graduate students. Plagiarisms and researchers who submit the same paper to different journals without telling the editors are illegal and unethical.

Dear friends, I think you have heard that common sense is not so common. So would you put in effort to teach research ethics to your graduate students?

And would you think it needed to research on their actual practice of ethics? Have they imbibed it all?

Dear Mahfuz and friends,

What methodology would you use? Or would you just ask your students and trust their statements at face value? Why?

Because I have taught Hispanic literature and comparative literature on the post-graduate level, it would be difficult for me to stress the teaching of ethics. Nevertheless, I can think of ways to introduce practical ethical considerations into research. One way would be to present (or invent) an ethically questionable example of literary criticism of the author scheduled for study and to ask students to correct that example into ethically acceptable criticism. Another way would be to study literary works with a didactic message and to examine ethical principles structuring those works.

Concerning the negative example, I know the rare case of an article rejected for publication in one demanding peer-reviewed journal while published in a less rigorous journal with no change. The students could be asked to revise the article to make it acceptable for the ethically more demanding journal. This is an exercise that the author ethically should have performed, so the students learn professional ethics by performing it themselves.

I always include ethics in my lecture series. I show videos of the historical development of ethical procedures in medical, psychological, etc., research and how ethical considerations have developed over the past century. We then discuss this.

I find that discussing ethics within research transcends the particulars of ethics in a specific lecture series context but I broaden out discussions to include more substantive ethical considerations.

Each year, I give an induction talk to new PhD Students at the start of the each of the 2 semesters. In my talk, plasiarism and intellectual rights are covered briefly. There is als oa workshop run by a libarian who talks about these is more details.

Aprart from ethics, there is also a strong cultural element. In a certain culture, plasiarism is not considered so wrong. There is a greater tolerance to multiple publications and unsanctioned conlusions in doing projects. Education is the most effective weapon agains academic misconduct, followed by rigorous invetigations and fair penalty.

Protocols can be found in the literature. I believe important to mention here that the participants should be informed. Even after gathering the data, so that information does not affect the results.

Thanks @Nelson, Ouyang, Paul and Prof Kamal.

In doing all these things, did you investigate how well your students have imbibed the research ethics? Or do you think that the number of cases of plagiarism and other forms of misconduct are not so rampant?

If we investigate, would self-assessment by the graduate students be enough, or would you get others to evaluate their ethical practice? I'm open and receptive to your views, thanks...

Thanks Alexandre, our posts crossed, but it's ok.

I agree that participants should be informed.

I think that it is very important that the research organizations should be tough regarding ethical issues.

Moral education has always been an issue in research field. Although the methodology and the content have changed over the past years, ways to implement and bring these theories into the classroom and internalize them within student's community is still one of the important research topics. Moral education is most successful when it is passive and indirect. We all know that our best and deepest moments of learning were when we actually didn't know that we are doing so.

As a teacher I think the best way to teach morality should be through our own life style. Ethics must be translated into our own action.

I´m not sure that we need courses in ethics for postgraduates. These lectures will be theoretical and you have to confide to the acceptance of the teached contents. The better way could be to establish rules within the researching team in a personal manner. Here the team coordinating scientist has influence and is able control the behaviour of his students. Some times a short remark could be sufficient, because the students are dependant from the meaning and the influence of the scientific leader.

I think that as Hanno said, the only information that graduate students ned is about keeping the rules adapted by all researchers, or almost all! Ethics is another issue. Either you have it or not. Courses on this subject does not change the givens.

As for Bioethics, I think this is a very sensitive issue, having to do with the use of biotechnology.

Dear Costas,

I agree with your comment to bioethics, and would appreciate to have a RG discussion about this problem.

Dear Miranda,

Dear All,

I am convinced that everyday life that is the ethical (?) practice of a given society (which is on the way of decadence) determines the ethics of the scientific/academic community.

I feel ethical courses are good for nothing, their efficiency equals with zero.

When delivering lectures I always try to stress the ethics in the whole life and in professional practice. Unfortunately, the negative examples do win.

As the traditional ethics (which had its impact by familial cultural heritage) were partly destroyed in many countries, the ethical courses are only kinds of decorum in teaching…

If you cannot make the distinction between what is 'ethical' and 'unethical' at a university level, what has been educated before (parents, primary school, secondary school...) had no impact at all? Perhaps applied ethics is environment dependent? If people change environment, perception of ethical rules change because of biology-based reasons (e.g. instinct of survival)?

@Miranda, different aspects and examples of ethics, ethical and non-ethical behaviour ... I do present to my students during the classes. Of course, the ongoing discussion has much more impact than any subject taught on ethics.

The spiral of ethics education begins from early childhood, since parental education.

Friends, I agree with your views, and you also agree among one another.

@Sribas, what we teach orally, we need to enforce practically through our actions :)

@Prof Ljubomir, ethics education does begin in childhood. But I only learnt Research Ethics during my BSc, when I did a 6 credit research project :)

Why restrict this issue to graduate students and what about parents, and why restrict it to research? I believe that ethics has a hierarchical nested framework and permeates everything we do in our life. At the individual level (students, for example) is something that should be exercised and practiced by giving examples of our behavior an attitude, not taught. At the community level, there must be norms (and there are some already) regulating the degrees of freedom of each individual or group. At the global level, there should be also norms to regulate for instance different country's behaviour and attitude, also to regulate their degrees of freedom to keep our overall survival on Earth within safe bounds.

Dear Giovanni,

I agree with you but mention: at certain hierarchical levels many individuals think that they are above rules and regulations and behave like that. So much about the good examples.

@Miranda: You need to remember that teaching ethics is not the same as teaching say Biology. In teaching Biology the students must learn facts and gain an understanding of the subject. In teaching Ethics, you are seeking to change Attitudes. Because the outcomes are so different, your teaching and assessing methods have to be widely different.

Dear Marcel,

Yes, ethics is often environment dependent. This is a trouble because this made possible the ethical degradation trough which a learned behaviour appiers and some allow themselves to change moral as underwear. I do not consider this as a hiperfunction of the survival instinct rather that of the instinct of vanity.

Dear Hanno,

I think that there is but one ethics. Who cannot ethically behave with his/her fellow-men, will not be able to practise bioethics either.

Dear András,

you are right, but discussing all aspects of ethics in one question will immediately get out of our hands. And the question here is, how to inform or to convince students about ethics, not the whole society.

Dear Kamal,

Of course, a course will not harm but the professor’s personnel example is much more valuable and more effective. The course is but a dead theory, the example is itself the life.

Thanks for your views.

@Prof Gianni, yes, we should see the wider scope, not just family, university but also the nation and our globe.

@Ian, I agree that in teaching ethics the aim is to change attitudes, and behavior.

@Andras, I fully agree that unethical people can't practice bioethics, research ethics etc.

Dear All,

Please, do not forget that we, participants of this thread are practising ethics! I am sure RG threads would be excellent hunting areas for psychologists or specialists dealing with human reactions and opinions.

Students learn from teachers what teachers do rather than what teachers tell to students. In research work in laboratory, this is also very important. First, we have to have serious attitude and show respects for others' work.

Would you provide a little more information regarding "morals" as "common sense"?  I have not quite seen it described as much and I really would like your point of view about this.

Teaching of ethics to all post-graduate students means that all need to understand that plagiarisms and researchers who submit the same paper to different journals without telling the editors are illegal and unethical. But also it means that one must believe in his own ideas until reaching his objective by realizing his hypotheses. However, a young reasercher must know also the numerous obstacles that dot his work and numerous editorial intrigue that may come to publish a good job. And how may this be taught? Some ideas are wellcome.

Friends, thanks for your views.

@Nola: I did say 'Ethical norms are sometimes regarded as commonsense.'  Ethics are necessary for the good of the society, and so the good of the individual within the society.  But selfish people will not agree, if they are thinking of their own good at the expense of others in the society.

Please refer to what Andras posted earlier: 'I am convinced that everyday life that is the ethical (?) practice of a given society (which is on the way of decadence) determines the ethics of the scientific/academic community.'

Thank you, Miranda, for referring me to the earlier post.  I understand now.  In one of Andras' earliest posts, he stated, "..As the traditional ethics (which had its impact by familial cultural heritage) were partly destroyed in many countries, the ethical courses are only kinds of decorum in teaching…" Reviewing the histories of many, it seems that Andras makes a statement that does capture a circumstance that occurs too frequently when it comes to teaching ethics. At the same time, I have an impression from my reading that moral development is complex and uneven.  In the most primitive of communities (by some standards), one might find very high regard for a standard of conduct.  Yet, I do believe in the necessity of safeguards and educational settings most often convey the minimum requirements through courses.  Miranda, another circumstance is that people might manipulate the seemingly "moral" to their advantage.  My comments are speculative.  I don't have a unifying theme to suggest a plan of action regarding teaching ethics courses.  I do understand your earlier post now. 

We have to teach research ethics and it is important. I always emphasize on ethical values and talk to my students several times. In a few cases, they have argued back with providing examples from other researchers (profs and students) who have sent very similar articles to different journals.

I agree with Giovanni and others that we have to be a role model for our students.

Ethical values should be thought in different levels and should be started in an early age and in the family!. 

"Medical ethics, bioethics and research ethics education perspectives in South East europe in graduate medical education."

Dear @Miranda, "ETHICS TEACHER TRAINING COURSE"-UNESCO, could be valuable resource for this thread and future research!

Regarding my country, this should be a good resource:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002164/216492e.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23436144

Thank you dear friends.  All of you who have put good advice here, and advised your students should get great gratitude, although you see beyond those things.

@Behrouz, Prof Gianni, Enzo, Andras et al., please keep up the good work of advising and warning students.  Please accept my thanks.

@Prof Ljubomir, thanks for the resources.  I will seriously get into them as soon as I clear my present papers and commitments.

The concept of "Peace" in the multilingual world-image:secularistic and religious components. Or Social functions of ethno-cultural customs, traditions, religious practices, rituals. Or Universal ethnic structural elements, Or Structural elements of national mentality Or Development of polylanguage culture by means of RG etc.etc

Dear Prof Kamal, please tell me more about your mandatory ethics course.  What did you observe after making it compulsory?  You said earlier:

'We introduce 2 years ago at the Hashemite university a mandatory course named "Bioethics". This course is mandatory for all students in Medicine and Nursing...'

Dear friends, I suddenly encountered a problem.  When I wanted to send a paper to a journal, I printed out the Guidelines.  Then i also got a message that I have a pop-up blocker in my PC.  Do I really have to remove it?  I use Google Chrome.  Will it interfere in some way? 

Thanks Prof Kamal.  You don't have to hurry too much.  I still have to clear my papers.  Sometimes, it is stressful, but it's necessary to have a few papers in the pipeline.  And it teaches me to be patient and focused.

I have managed to remove the blocker :)

Dear Prof Shafig, what method would you apply?  Most of the time, for my own research, I use self assessment.  But ethics is different.  So how would we measure if the ethics we taught was successfully imbibed?

As Behrouz said, students will answer back, 'providing examples from other researchers (profs and students) who have sent very similar articles to different journals'.  How would you answer these charges?

@Miranda: Because students can find examples of malpractices does not make those malpractices legal. You need to point out the reason for the norm: If a researcher tries to simultaneously publish the one paper in two journals, who would own the copyright? Furthermore, the student should not just be able to recite the reason. The student must demonstrate that he / she has his / her attitude in line with that of the norm. This is admittedly difficult to truthfully assess!

Norms that have no reason can rightly be challenged by students. Now, what do we say to the student who points out that it is completely ethical to send off a book manuscript simultaneously to several potential publishers? Surely a book is just a big paper. Why the difference??? asks the student.

As a lecturer, Miranda cannot give an end of term % score to learning that has taken place. As a researcher, she cannot develop a scale that assesses the level of assimilation (internalization) that has taken place!

Maybe the answer is to ask the student to provide feedback on the course for due performance: "During this course I...."; "This course changed..."; "As a result of this course I did not ..."

Thanks for your posts, dear friends.  @Ian, do you think that besides feedback of students, it would be good to get the opinions of their friends too.  We know that when some students translate from English to Malay (for example), plagiarism is even more difficult to detect.  Do you think that classmates can vouch for the honesty of a student? What's your view?

Dear Profs and friends, I have completed all my data entry for my previous research and I'm checking that and starting to write.  I have read the links provided on this thread by Prof Ljubomir.  

Who is really interested and passionate about ethics in research and willing to share the work?  Please email me at [email protected] or send me a message on RG.  Thanks.

Practice of research ethics is to distinguish the Right and wrong behavior while researching; at the same time follow the RIGHT ones.

are some of the common areas for practice of research ethics.

My dear @Miranda, I will do help you as much as I can, you are aware of it. As You know, I have so many obligations, but ETHICS is one of my favourite topics! So, the old man is at your disposal! :)

Dear Prof Ljubomir, you are NOT old at all.  And you are precious to us.  Thanks for being willing to help.  As many of you know, I don't have masters or PhD students, so I can only collaborate with you all, read the reviews that you provide, analyse the data that you collect and write the paper on behalf of all.  I haven't done anything like this.  I always collected the data from my own students, and worked like a lone ranger :)

The old man feels so young, but it is a matter of subjective impression! I do like your fighting attitude! Dear @Miranda, however, I am at your disposal, any time! :)

Dear Ljubomir, the Canadian physician William Osler said that age is a state of mind, and certainly you are the living proof. As to Miranda´s question, by all means ethics deserves a place in the graduate (as well as the undergraduate) curriculum.  For all grad students in biological sciences (and medicine), bioethics should be mandatory as it is at the Hashemite University.  It is cutting-edge ethics, and literary works concerning bioethical problems is plentiful, capable of becoming a requirement in the humanities and social sciences as well.  Wherever we can insert ethics, we should as educators. In all my years of teaching graduate students, I never encountered problems in ethics. Things are probably different at present for whatever reason.  How to discover ethical practices among students?  Through "comparative literature": compare the work handed in to other works on the net. Coincidence between them signifies cheating.

Thanks @Nelson, for more input on this matter: 'For all grad students in biological sciences (and medicine), bioethics should be mandatory as it is at the Hashemite University.'

This is dedicated to all Profs and friends, who are all young at heart :)

Thanks to all my friends. @Nelson, thanks for very kind words :"The age is a state of mind, and certainly you are the living proof."! Wow! Dear @Kamal and @Miranda, you are the spirit of RG, as @Nelson and other are, but also @Lijo and @Patrick are!

Yes, Prof Ljubomir, we miss them (Lijo and Patrick) on RG, but we have them on FB.  So many times, I have to check my FB, before I can do the RG blogging.  I know that if they broke the rules of RG, it's unintentional.  They have applied to get back to RG, but until then we will find them on FB, where we share our lives, our ups and downs, our learning and research.  On RG we can share only our research and learning.

Dear Prof Kamal, thanks very much.  She's 83, already an octogenarian.  

@BTW, you can send me the softcopies about bioethics, so that I can do some reading.  I have been busy, I got back from my track exercises a while ago.  In the last few days, I set 4 sets of tests, to be conducted from tomorrow till Friday; as a measure to prevent students from discussing questions and being unethical :)

I wish you and all Muslim friends a meaningful Eid celebration.  We call it AIDIL FITRI or HARI RAYA :)

Friends, I got 1 paper from the 1st author.  We will all find it very interesting:

'Our results show that there was no trace of plagiarism in 6 out of 27 fields under consideration for Iranian papers. Unfortunately, most cases of plagiarism were reported in three scientific fields, with medicine on top of the list. Generally, there were 8 fields with plagiarism of 30 percent or more. Our results for other countries illustrate that in medicine, the United States, Turkey, Australia and China had a plagiarism rate of 18 percent, 38 percent, 32 percent and 36 percent respectively and the rate in the field of engineering was 12 percent, 34 percent, 28 percent, 36 percent respectively. The paper suggests that more frequent instances of plagiarism in Iranian articles are due to the unawareness of the international standards of science writing and editing. According to our interesting results about other countries, we find that in the field of engineering, Iran with an 11 percent plagiarism rate has the best situation even relative to the United States with 12 percent but in medicine Iran has the higher rate (46 percent).'  I am currently reviewing this paper.

1) Plagiarism of an article is responsible in the both sides of journal editorial boards and authors. The cause of plagiarism would be a lack of caution in the both sides. Therefore, a kind of penalty is necessary if it is found. 2) To find out it, a stepwise retrieval of keywords, titles, abstracts and content of articles by computer is necessary in the both side.

Dear friends, here is my review of the paper on Plagiarism by Reza Jamali et al.  I have put some comments also on Prof Ljubomir's thread below (look at panel 23, or 25).

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_do_you_think_about_plagiarism_especially_when_it_is_related_to_high_Government_officials/25

Article Plagiarism and Ethics of Knowledge: Evidence from Internatio...

2) Prior to planning a new research, to consult a software is convenient to find an exactly the same content as the planning present research (Plagiarism). Such software would be possible connected to the Pubmed etc. As plenty of papers and/or on-line journals increasing in number, it is becoming very difficult to check plagiarism in all articles without usingsuch a computer system.

Dear Dr Umeo Ito, it's not just about checking plagiarism.  Rather, it's about how can we know how much our students have absorbed ethical values.  I'm sure that you can provide an answer, based on your experience with students.  Will you just question them, take their word, check their papers with Turnitin or similar software?  Or do we have another empirical method?