Ethics in Research

Ethical Principles

The following is a rough and general summary of some ethical principles that various codes
address*:

Honesty

Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data, results,
methods and procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or
misrepresent data. Do not deceive colleagues, research sponsors, or the public.
Objectivity

Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation,

peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other
aspects of research where objectivity is expected or required. Avoid or minimize
bias or self-deception. Disclose personal or financial interests that may affect
research.
Integrity

Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of
thought and action.
Carefulness

Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your own
work and the work of your peers. Keep good records of research activities, such
as data collection, research design, and correspondence with agencies or
journals.
Openness

Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.

Transparency

Disclose methods, materials, assumptions, analyses, and other information needed to evaluate your
research.
Accountability

Take responsibility for your part in research and be prepared to give an account
(i.e. an explanation or justification) of what you did on a research project and
why.
Intellectual Property

Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not use
unpublished data, methods, or results without permission. Give proper
acknowledgement or credit for all contributions to research. Never plagiarize.
Confidentiality

Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for

publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.
Responsible Publication

Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance just your
own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.
Responsible Mentoring

Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote their welfare and allow
them to make their own decisions.
Respect for Colleagues

Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.

Social Responsibility

Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through
research, public education, and advocacy.
Non-Discrimination

Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race,

ethnicity, or other factors not related to scientific competence and integrity.
Competence

Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through
lifelong education and learning; take steps to promote competence in science as
a whole.
Legality

Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.
Animal Care

Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct
unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.
Human Subjects protection

When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and
maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy; take special
precautions with vulnerable populations; and strive to distribute the benefits and
burdens of research fairly.

* Adapted from Shamoo A and Resnik D. 2015. Responsible Conduct of Research, 3rd ed.
(New York: Oxford University Press).
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with
or without their ... in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered
under this definition.

What is Plagiarism in Research? Plagiarism is the unethical practice of

using words or ideas (either planned or accidental) of another
author/researcher or your own previous works without proper
acknowledgment.

12 Different Types of Plagiarism to Avoid

Although plagiarism may seem like a simple concept of passing off someone else’s
work as your own, there are actually several different types of plagiarism. From
how you cite sources to who actually contributes to a piece of writing, here are 12
distinct types of plagiarism you should avoid.

1. Direct Plagiarism
Also known as “word-for-word plagiarism” or “clone plagiarism,” direct
plagiarism involves copying an entire piece of work by someone else and claiming
it is your own original work. This is what many people associate with plagiarism,
and it is easy for teachers and professors to detect.

2. Hired Plagiarism
Hired plagiarism involves paying someone else to write an essay or research paper
for you. This also includes buying essays from internet sites or essay-writing
services. It doesn’t have to be the entire essay or paper; it’s plagiarism to hire
someone else to write any part of work you claim as your own.

3. Borrowed Plagiarism
It’s also plagiarism to borrow essays from friends. You may have older friends
who have taken a course years before from a different instructor. If you use a paper
or part of a paper written by a friend for a past course, this is considered borrowed
plagiarism.
4. Self Plagiarism
Similarly, reusing your own work from a past class and passing it off as new work
is also a type of plagiarism. This includes using all or part of a high school essay
for a college assignment. It’s also self plagiarism to use the same essay or paper to
fulfill two different assignments for two different courses.

5. Mosaic Plagiarism
One of the most confusing types of plagiarism is mosaic plagiarism because it
encompasses a lot of different behaviors. Also called “patchwork plagiarism” or
“patch writing,” this type of plagiarism involves using part of someone else’s work
and adding your own work to it. This includes “copy/paste” and “find and replace”
plagiarism, where you replace certain words or sections with paraphrased work in
an attempt to make it unique.

6. Collaboration Plagiarism
This type of plagiarism involves collaborating on a project but acting like it was
done alone. A group of students may get together to work on the research for a
project and then each write his or her own essay based on the research. Because the
work is not entirely original and that of the student claiming it, this is plagiarism.

7. Contributing Author Plagiarism

Similarly, not crediting an author or editor who contributes to the work is
considered plagiarism. For instance, if you and your partner work together on the
project but only one of you gets credit, the person receiving credit is actually
plagiarizing some of the work. Additionally, if someone edits your work and
makes significant changes in the process, that person should be credited to avoid
plagiarism.

8. Aggregated Plagiarism
An essay or paper doesn’t have to be a word-for-word copy of another work to be
plagiarism. If your paper is based on another paper and uses the same ideas and the
same sources, it may be aggregated plagiarism. Rewriting the language used does
not make the paper or essay unique if the sources and ideas are the same.
9. Outline Plagiarism
Similarly, using the same structure with new information is considered plagiarism.
Outline plagiarism, also called “retweet plagiarism,” uses the outline of another
paper. The thesis statement is the same, as are the basic points in each paragraph.
The sources and actual writing may be unique, but the paper or essay is not entirely
original content.

10. Bibliography Plagiarism

Passing off research done by someone else is also a form of plagiarism. If you use
the bibliography from another paper, you are plagiarizing that research. Even if
you write a paper that is unique and has a different thesis, the research is not yours.
On a similar note, extending a bibliography with sources not used in the paper is a
form of plagiarism too.

11. Secondary Source Plagiarism

If your paper mentions primary sources and cites those properly but then uses info
from secondary sources without citing them, you are committing secondary source
plagiarism. For instance, you may have some interviews you did with early settlers
in your community, and you may properly cite those sources. However, if you also
bring in information from some newspaper articles from the era you’re describing
and don’t cite the articles in your sources, you are committing plagiarism.

12. Accidental Plagiarism

Finally, it’s possible to accidentally plagiarize other work if you are doing a lot of
research for a paper. You may come across ideas and forget where you saw them,
thinking they are your own. You may even be influenced by the language used in a
piece of writing and inadvertently use the same language in your work. This kind
of plagiarism is difficult to avoid, but making notes and trying to be aware of what
you read can help.