Good Scientific Practice

This chapter is based on the notes 2022-06-28_ConflictOfInterest_Plagiarism.pdf

Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest through:

  • Friendship

  • Antagonism/hostile relationship

  • Dependence

  • Collaboration

Examples for conflicts of interest:

  • Reviewing:

    1. Professional assessment

    2. Helping a friend

  • Student representatives:

    1. Representing the students’ interests

    2. Own interests at University (grades, career, etc.)

  • Women’s representative

  • Lobbies

  • Politicians in board of directors:

    1. Party

    2. Company

  • Additional occupation or spare-time work:

    1. First employer

    2. Second employer/own company

Differentation in primary interests and secondary interests.

Example cases where conflicts of interest are important:

  • Research in company

  • BSc thesis in company

  • Peer-reviewing papers

  • Hiring decisions

  • Exam attestation

Solutions:

  • Form a committee, do not decide alone

  • Categorization of ‘conflict of interests’ by others, not yourself

  • Prevention of ill influence through anonymous reviews

  • Transparency (communicate potential conflicts)

Decisions should be correct, transparent and invulnerable.

Sources:

Example conflicts of interests strictly defined by DFG (German Scientific Organisation):

  • Spouse or close relative

  • Economic relationship

  • Scientific cooperation: Current or planned

  • Supervisor-supervisee relationship: Current or within the last six years

  • Work at relevant institution: Current or planned

Plagiarism

Definition: Theft of intellectual property.

  • Using others’ work

  • Completely or modified

  • Pretending to be the creator

Plagiarism in law:

  • Copyright

  • Compensation possible

  • Cease-and-desist letter

  • Sources must always be attributed, also for self-plagiarism!

  • Violation of good scientific practice

Plagiarism in Academia

Examples for plagiarism:

  • Tutor attests exam or thesis, recognizes plagiarism: Copy from webpage without citation (academic misconduct)

  • Text from book translated word-to-word

Examples for no plagiarism:

  • Group work

Characterization:

  • Basic principle: Independent work.

  • “Reuse without Reference”: Academic misconduct originates from the use of work that is not cited.

  • Plagarism vs. Self-Plagiarism

  • Rules and consequences must be defined and followed

IEEE rules (IEEE Ops manual, Section 8.2.4):

  1. Level 1: Uncredited verbatim copy of more than 50% within single article

    • Notice of Violation published

    • Publication of work prohibited

    • Rejection of all of the authors’ articles currently under review (resubmission possible after plagiarism issue resolved)

    • Up to 5 years of prohibition of publication in all IEEE-copyrighted publications by the authors

    • Recommendation: Require Letter of Apology and publish it (if no letter written: 1-2 years additional prohibition of publication)

  2. Level 2: 20%-50%

    • Same as above, but only …

    • Up to 3 years of prohibition of publication

  3. Level 3: <= 20 %

    • Letter of Apology to plagiarized authors and publication editors (private)

    • Notice of Violation published

    • Possible action: Publication of Letter of Apology

  4. Level 4: “Inappropriate paraphrasing” of significant portion

    • Same as above, but only …

    • Prohibition of publication in single venue if no Letter of Apology written.

  5. Level 5: Verbatim copy without quotation mark

    • Correction required

    • Letter of Apology to plagiarized authors and publication editors (private)

Repeated violations: Up to a liftetime of prohibition of publication.

Process for misconduct handling by IEEE (Figure 8.2.4. in IEEE Ops manual):