Module 01

1.Define philosophy and explain the nature of philosophy

Ans: The origin of “Philosophy” is from two Greek words – ‘Philos’ meaning love and ‘Sofia’
meaning knowledge or wisdom. Quite literally, the term "philosophy" means, "love of wisdom." In a
broad sense, philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental
truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each
other. As an academic discipline, philosophy is much the same. Those who study philosophy are
perpetually engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers to life’s most basic
questions. Philosophy is a study that “seeks to uncover the nature, root, and meaning of life, being,
reality (metaphysics), ethics, and knowledge (epistemology).”

● Traditionally, the word “philosophy”, means the description of study like logic, sociology,
psychology, etc
● Surfacely, the word “philosophy” means view, vision and outlook of a particular person on a
particular thing
● Literally, philosophy is “the study of nature and meaning of the universe and of human life”
● In the context of research, philosophy refers to a system of beliefs and assumptions about the
development of knowledge
● Philosophy harmonizes the highest conclusions of the different sciences, coordinates them one
another, and gives a rational conception (idea) of the whole world.

Nature of Philosophy [EPDSLFWEAM]

1. Philosophy literally means ‘love of wisdom’: It is an attempt to arrive at a rational conception of the
reality as a whole. It enquires into the nature of the universe in which we live, its constituents and
their relation to one another. It is the art of thinking all things logically, systematically, and
persistently.
2. Philosophy is a persistent attempt to seek clear notions: Clarification of concepts is the task of
philosophy.
3. Philosophy is the critical analysis of the popular and scientific concepts, and the discovery of their
relations to one another. It is a rational attempt to integrate our knowledge and interpret and unify our
experiences.
4. It systematizes our scientific knowledge, and moral, aesthetic and religious experiences: It analyses
the popular and scientific concepts, examines their validity• in the light of reason, and interrelates
them to one another. Its method is logical and rational. Its chief instrument is logic. Its method is
rational speculation, logical analysis and synthesis.
5. Philosophy analyzes the foundations and presuppositions underlying other disciplines: Philosophy
investigates and studies the underpinningsPhilosophy attempts to develop a comprehensive
conception or apprehension of the world: Philosophy seeks to integrate the knowledge of the sciences
with that of other fields of study to achieve some kind of consistent and coherent worldview.
6. Philosophy studies and critically evaluates our most deeply held beliefs and attitudes, in particular,
those which are often held uncritically.
7. Philosophy studies and critically evaluates our most deeply held beliefs and attitudes, in particular,
those which are often held uncritically
8. Philosophy as we know is the study of wisdom and one who loves this wisdom is called philosopher:
Philosopher knows every problem from its root and interprets it through rational basis. Philosophy,
the mother of all science, is the foundation and the touchstone of every other subject whether physics,
mathematics, technology or like humanities.

.
2. Write a note on ethics and hence explain the terms:
(i) Moral philosophy
Morality and ethics are used synonymously although there is little difference between these two
while morality is the right or wrong (or otherwise) of an action, a way of life or a decision and Ethics
is the study of such standards as we use or propose to judge such things. Thus, abortion may be moral
or immoral according to code we employ but ethics tells us why we call it so and how we made up
our minds. As a result, ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy; we use it to criticize, defend,
promote, justify and suggest moral concepts and to answer questions of morality. Ethics is a
normative science. The fact that ethics is concerned with an end or ideal or standard serves at once to
distinguish it from most of the other sciences. It is a science which lays down rules, laws or axioms
or more strictly, that seeks to define a standard or ideal with reference to which rules or laws may be
formulated. It is the business of normative science to define an ideal, not to lay down rules for its
attainment. For example, Aesthetics is a normative science; concerned with the standard of beauty;
but it is no part of its business to inquire how beauty is produced. So, with ethics, it discusses the
ideal of goodness or rightness and is not directly concerned with the means by which this ideal may
be realized. Ethics

(ii) Meta ethics

Investigates where our moral values, language, and principles come from and what they mean; it is
concerned with “what is morality?” rather than “what is moral '
(iii) Normative ethics
Normative ethics investigates the moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. Theories
within normative ethics include utilitarianism, consequentialism, contractualism, virtue ethics, and
more.

(iv) Applied ethics

Seeks to apply philosophical tools to examine specific controversial issues and provide practical
solutions to moral problems
 3. Mention some philosophical objectives béhind'research
● A research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a phenomenon should be
gathered, analyzed and used
● Pragmatism: Outcome to a solution by generating knowledge
● Positivism: Experience; Structured; Replication; Quantitative
● Realism: Scientific theories provide description of the world
● Interpretivism: Differentiate; Qualitative
● Empiricism: Observation and experiment; Evidence
● Post Positivism: Social research via logical reasoning

4. Write notes on:

. Moral Judgement
Ethics is a science of morality and it discusses the contents of moral consciousness and the various
problems of moral consciousness. Moral consciousness is the consciousness of right and wrong. It
involves three factors:

• Cognitive or intellectual: Moral Judgment

• Affective or emotional: Moral sentiment
• Conative or volitional: Moral obligation

Moral judgment is the main cognitive factor in moral consciousness. It involves intuition of moral
standard by reason and comparison of a voluntary action with it. It also involves evaluation of
voluntary action as right and wrong. The emotional factors include the moral sentiments; moral
judgements are followed by moral sentiments and not vice versa. Moral obligation is the main
conative factor of moral consciousness. It involves the moral impulse to do the right action. We feel
we are under moral obligations to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.
Meaning of moral judgment: Moral judgment is the judgment which deals with the moral
value or quality of an action. It is a judgment of value and it evaluates the rightness or wrongness of
our actions. When we analyze a moral judgment then we find that it contains

• A subject which will be judged

• An object whose action will be judged
A standard in conformity to which the action of the subject will be judged
• A power of judging the action as required

Moral judgment is the judgment of the moral quality of voluntary habitual actions. Generally, a moral
judgment is given on the voluntary and habitual actions of a rational being. The voluntary actions of a
rational person which involve deliberation, choice, and resolution, have the moral quality of rightness
and wrongness. They are considered to be right or wrong with the reference to the moral standard. On
the basis of this standard, moral judgment is given. If the voluntary actions conform with the standard
or the ideal, then the moral judgment will express it as the right action. If the action has conflict with
the standard or norms, then the moral judgment will express it as wrong. So, moral judgment involves
comparison of voluntary acts with the moral standard.
Moral judgment is a judgment of values. It is distinct from the judgment of facts. A Judgment of value
is a judgment of “what ought to be”.
 ii. Nature of ethical reactions in Research

Ethics are moral principles that govern a person's behavior or conduct of an activity. The word ethics
implies a system of accepted beliefs that control our behavior, especially when a decision is based on
morals.

The word, Morality on the other hand implies a set of personal or social standards for good or bad
behavior. Morality is based on an individual’s mindset and basic human instinct.

The field of ethics, or moral philosophy, investigates theories that can systematically describe
what makes acts right or wrong. Moral Philosophy is the rational study of the meaning and
justification of moral claims. A moral claim evaluates the rightness or wrongness of an action or a
person’s character. Moral philosophy is usually divided into three distinct subject areas: metaethics,
normative ethics, and applied ethics. Moral philosophy is usually divided into three categories:

• Metaethics: Investigates where our moral values, language, and principles come from and what they
mean; it is concerned with “what is morality?” rather than “what is moral?”

• Applied ethics: Seeks to apply philosophical tools to examine specific controversial issues and
provide practical solutions to moral problems

• Normative ethics: Normative ethics investigates the moral standards that regulate right and

wrong conduct. Theories within normative ethics include utilitarianism,

consequentialism, contractualism, virtue ethics, and more.

Value theory is concerned with theoretical questions about value and goodness of all varieties,
questions that often cross the boundaries between normative ethics and the metaethical. It asks how
and why people value something, be it a person, idea, or object; thus both moral and natural goods are
equally relevant to value theory.
 MODULE 2

1. Explain ethics with respect to normative science and positive science

The most common way of defining ethics is norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable
and unacceptable behavior. The term “Research Ethics” refers to a wide variety of values, norms, and
institutional arrangements that help constitute and regulate scientific activities. Research ethics is a
codification of scientific morality in practice. In other words, research ethics may be referred to as doing
what is morally and legally right in research. Broadly, there are 3 different perspectives on ethics:

● Ethics as a disposition: Moral virtues are inherently present, just have to dispose
• Ethics as duty: It is one’s duty to act in a way that upholds values
● Ethics as utilitarian: Relates to principles of ethical conduct that benefits majority of stakeholders at
large

Objectives of Research ethics: [PSE] [Clue: PSG not having ethics]

• Protect human participants.

• Ensure research is conducted in such a way that it serves interests of all stakeholders, society at large
• Examine research activities for ethical soundness

It is important to adhere to ethical norms in research: [PPCAM] [PPHegde Camera]

● Promotes the aim of research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. For example,
prohibitions against fabricating, falsifying, or misrepresenting research data promotes truth and
minimizes error.
● Since research often involves a great deal of cooperation and coordination among many different
people in different disciplines and institutions, ethical standards should promote values that are essential
to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness.
● Ethical norms must help to ensure that researchers are held accountable to the public.
● Ethical norms in research should also help to build public support for research. People are more likely to
fund a research project if they can trust the quality and integrity of research.
 Promote a variety of other important moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights,
animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health and safety.

Positive science

positive is objective and only Describes about fact, While Normative science is Subjective and
opinion.
What is meant by positive science?
Positive science refers to the statements that are based on proven facts and figures
which are described elaborately so that it can be developed into various theories.
Positive statements/ Science/ Economics: – they are that statements in which analysis is confined to
cause and effect relationship but it does not pass any value judgment. It deals with what are the
economic problems and how are they actually solved. In other words, it states ‘what was, what is and
what will be under the given state of circumstances. ositive statements can be verified as true or false
with the available data while normative statements are just opinions of individuals hence cannot be
verified or prove to be the best solution to the economic problems.

2. Explain about Intellectual Honesty

Intellectual Honesty: Researchers have a moral duty to be honest. This duty is especially important
when we share ideas that can inform or persuade others. Intellectual honesty is honesty in the
acquisition, analysis, and transmission of ideas. A person is being intellectually honest when he or she,
knowing the truth, states that truth.

Intellectual honesty is an applied method of problem solving, characterized by an unbiased, honest

attitude, which can be demonstrated in a number of different ways including: [IOUP] [Soup with I]

● Ensuring support for chosen ideologies does not interfere with the pursuit of truth
● Relevant facts and information are not purposefully omitted even when such things may contradict
one's hypothesis
● Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions or to
support one view over another
● References, or earlier work, are acknowledged where possible, and plagiarism is avoided
Intellectual Honesty (Individual level) [APAPCCDOOHICA] [Opening Cafe coffee day in Andhra
pradesh with High command’s acknowledgement]

● Research should be based on originality and innovation

● Accuracy in representing contributions

● Protect identity of respondent

● Due acknowledgement of web based resources

 ● No to Plagiarism

● Citing all related papers including those submitted, but not accepted

● Revealing conflict of interest or potential ones

● Avoid duplicate publication

● Avoid Guest, Ghost and Gift authorship

● Adopt best practices recommended by COPE (Submit, encourage and behavior)

● Respect Intellectual property

● Be honest and objective while submission

● All communication between author and journal should be treated as confidential

Intellectual Honesty (Publisher level) [ACCCBV] [In constructing CCD, use ACC cement because it
will ensure victory

Adherence to ethical practices (COPE or WAME)

● Reveal conflict of interest

● Treat all information in the article as confidential

● Be vigilant in spotting ethical misconduct

● Motive is building better society, not commercial purpose

● Avoid predatory or bogus journals

3.Explain Various Types of Scientific Misconducts / What is plagiarism and various types
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in the
publication of professional scientific research. Research related misconduct can occur at any stage of the research
cycle. Research is the driving force for innovations and technical advancement in the world. Research misconduct
is defined as “fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing or reviewing research, or in
reporting of research results”. It is on the rise because:
● Increasing emphasis on research by academic institutions
● Difficulty in publishing in standard journals
● Constant pressure in the academic ecosystem
● Lack of systematic reporting standards

Some common examples are: Misappropriation of Ideas, Plagiarism, Self-plagiarism, Falsification of Data,
Failure to Support Validation of Your Research and so on
● Falsification: Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or
omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
● Fabrication: Fabrication is the construction and/or addition of data, observations, or characterizations
that never occurred in the gathering of data or running of experiments. Claims about results need to be made
on complete data sets (as is normally assumed), where claims made based on incomplete or assumed results is
a form of fabrication. The validity of knowledge created by science and the credibility of science, truth and
trust, are undermined by fabrication. When detected, the sanctions for perpetrators can be severe and articles
will be retracted. Not only does fabrication affect scientific careers, but when fabricated data is presented to
be real and is consequently used in real-life practice it can have life-threatening consequences. One case of
research misconduct estimates that up to 800,000 lives were lost due to fabrication of data of a single
perpetrator.
● Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their
consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished
material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. It paints a
misleading picture of a researcher's own contribution.
Plagiarism can involve copying words or images directly, paraphrasing sentences or passages, or co- opting

someone else’s ideas without citing the original work. In academic writing, these are various types of

plagiarism you might encounter:

○ Global plagiarism means plagiarizing an entire text. This includes purchasing an essay or turning in an
assignment completed by someone else.
○ Patchwork or mosaic plagiarism means copying phrases, passages, and ideas from different sources
and compiling them into a new text.
○ Incremental plagiarism means inserting a small amount of plagiarized content in a mostly original
 text.

Module 03

1. What is meant by Conflict of Interest. Explain financial and non-financial COI

● Conflicts of interest arise when authors, reviewers, or editors have interests that are not fully apparent
and that may influence their judgments on what is published
● Conflicts of interest in research are situations where professional objectivity may be compromised, or
perceived to be compromised, because of competing financial, personal, or
professional connections or personal values and stands. A conflict of interest exists when professional
judgment concerning a primary interest may be influenced by a secondary interest.
● May limit objectivity in the publication process
● Types: Financial/ Tangible; Non-financial/ Intangible
● Financial: Sources of funds/grants for the research conducted, receipt of a consulting fee from
a company manufacturing the equipment used in the research, stocks in such a company, or other
financial connections that might influence an individual's thinking and affect the research outcome.
Some journals may require authors to declare not just any competing financial connections they may
have individually, but also any that their immediate family members (spouse, parent, or child) may
have, since these may also pose indirect conflicts of interest.
● Non-financial: Personal relationships or professional affiliations; private or publicly held beliefs and
ideologies that can give rise to potential biases; professional rivalries
● Areas: Personal, Commercial, Political, Academic or Financial
prevent it?
All concerned members should declare their interests properly, and should be
published in website
Complete disclosure of financial conflicts
Recognising scientific merits when conducting evaluation
Editors should clearly explain what should be disclosed Ensure
proper disclosure from the author
Withdraw from discussions, decisions if found beyond ability or area of expertise If
authors state no conflict of interest, publish confirmation of the same
● How one can identify and appropriately declare conflicts of interest in research:
List down all sources of financial support
List down any social or personal activities/interests that may be considered to influence how
you conduct your research
 Review any institutional ties you may have in the present or have had in the recent past (where
you worked/volunteered, etc.) that can be said to affect your objectivity in your work
Review and comply with all the guidelines provided by your target journal on what they define
as conflicts of interest and how they want authors to disclose them
Potential for conflicts and ways to deal with them are constantly evolving. Keep
yourself updated and seek out new information.
As per the US Office of Research Integrity, “Having a conflict of interest is not in itself
unethical, and some areunavoidable. transparency is always the best course of action, and, if in
doubt, disclose.”

2. Explain Publication Ethics in Research

● Ethical code of conduct that binds researcher at every stage

● Publication ethics are rules of conduct generally agreed upon when publishing results of
scientific research or other scholarly work.
● Generally it is a standard that protects intellectual property and forbids the re-publication of another's
work without proper credit. It also forbids the use of plagiarism of another's efforts.
● The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is an international forum for editors and
publishers of peer-reviewed journals that provide the “code of conduct” and “best practice guidelines”
that define publication ethics and advises editors on how to handle cases of research and publication
misconduct
● In India, UGC published Good Academic Research Practices (GARP) which provides framework for
enhancing research integrity by focusing on potential threats and good practices at each and every stage
● Publication ethics should promote Research Integrity, which can be done by promoting values
in the conduct and management of research, such as Openness, Honesty, Accountability, Transparency,
Impartiality, Integrity, Carefulness, Independence, Rigour and so on
● Publication misconduct includes Research fraud, Redundant publication, Simultaneous

publication, Authorship abuse, Self citation, Plagiarism and so on

● The Ethics committee plays an important role in formulating, implementing and regulating
Publication ethics. UGC has drafted a common policy as follows:
All Universities in India must be equipped with Research ethics committee at departmental
level
UGC recommends DAIP and IAIP panels should be present (Departmental and Institutional
Academic Integrity Panel)
Research protocols may be submitted to such committees for consideration, guidance, improvement
and approval before commencement of the study
● Research ethics committee shall
 Promote awareness programs regarding do’s and don'ts of the research Act as
mediators or advisors in disputed cases through DAIP and
IAIP
Encourage organizational research culture based upon defensible standards of research
practices
Show commitment to high quality, transparent and accountable research ethics throughout
India
Monitor progress of ongoing studies
Organize seminar/ awareness programs on Research and Publication ethics for all
● Researcher responsibilities:
Update committee regarding events, issues and status of research Send a
copy of thesis

Send details of all publications

Importance of Publication ethics:

● Norms promote the aims of research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error
● Prohibitions against fabricating, falsifying, or misrepresenting research data promote the truth and
minimize error
● Promotes values that are essential to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual
respect, and fairness
● Helps to ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public
● Helps to build public support for research
● Promotes a variety of other important moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human
rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health and safety.

3. What are the best practices to be followed by good journals?

COPE: Committee on Publication ethics was founded in 1997 to address breaches in research and
publication ethics
Supports and encourages editors to report, catalog and instigate investigations in relation to
research misconduct
COPE has published two codes of
conduct:

Code of Conduct for editors

Code of Conduct for publishers
COPE in collaboration with WAME (World association of medical editors) and others have
developed policy on “Principles of Transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing” consisting
of 16 essential parameters:
Journal website:
It must not contain information that might mislead readers or authors, including any
attempt to mimic another journal/publisher’s site
‘Aims & Scope’ statement
Statement on what a journal will consider for publication including authorship criteria
(e.g., not considering multiple submissions, redundant publications) to be included
ISSNs should be clearly displayed (separate for print and electronic).

Name of Journal: The Journal name shall be unique and not be one that is easily confused with
another journal or that might mislead potential authors and readers about the Journal’s origin or
association with other journals
Process of peer review: Peer review is defined as obtaining advice on individual manuscripts
from reviewers expert in the field who are not part of the journal’s editorial staff
Journal content must be clearly marked as whether peer reviewed or not.
All processes as well as any policies related to the journal’s peer review procedures,
shall be clearly described on the journal website, including the method of peer review
used
Journal websites should not guarantee manuscript acceptance or very short peer review
times
Information about ownership and/ or management
Governing body: Members are recognized experts in the subject areas included within

the journal’s scope. The full names and affiliations of the journal’s editorial board or other
governing body shall be provided on the journal’s website.
Editorial team: Full names and affiliations of the journal’s editors
Copyright and Licensing:

The policy for copyright shall be clearly stated in the author guidelines and the copyright
holder named on all published articles
Likewise, licensing information shall be clearly described in guidelines on the website,
and licensing terms shall be indicated on all published articles, both HTML and PDFs
If authors are allowed to publish under a Creative Commons license then any
specific license requirements shall be noted
Any policies on posting of final accepted versions or published articles on third party
repositories shall be clearly stated.
Author fees:

Any fees or charges that are required for manuscript processing and/or publishing
 materials in the journal shall be clearly stated in a place that is easy for potential authors
to find prior to submitting their manuscripts for review or explained to authors before
they begin preparing their manuscript for submission. If no such fees are charged that
should also be clearly stated.
Process in relation to addressal of Research misconduct: Publishers and editors shall take
reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research
misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism,
ccitation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. In no case shall a journal or its
editors encourage such misconduct, or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. In the event that
a journal’s publisher or editors are made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a
published article in their journal, the publisher or editor shall follow COPE’s guidelines (or equivalent)
in dealing with allegations.
● Publication ethics: A journal shall also have policies on publishing ethics. These should be
clearly visible on its website, and should refer to:
Journal policies on authorship and contributorship How
the journal will handle complaints and appeals
Journal policies on conflicts of interest / competing interests
Journal policies on data sharing and reproducibility Journal’s
policy on ethical oversight
Journal’s policy on intellectual property
Journal’s options for post-publication discussions and corrections
● Publication schedule: The periodicity at which a journal publishes shall be clearly
indicated
● Access: The way(s) in which the journal and individual articles are available to readers and
whether there are associated subscription or pay per view fees shall be stated
● Archiving: A journal’s plan for electronic backup and preservation of access to the
journal content (for example, access to main articles via CLOCKSS or PubMedCentral) in the
event a journal is no longer published shall be clearly indicated
● Revenue sources: Business models or revenue sources (e.g., author fees, subscriptions,

advertising, reprints, institutional support, and organizational support) shall be clearly stated or
otherwise evident on the journal’s website. Publishing fees or waiver status should not influence
editorial decision making.
● Advertising: Journals shall state their advertising policy if relevant,
including what types of adverts will be considered, who makes decisions regarding
accepting adverts and whether they are linked to content or reader behavior.
• Self-plagiarism means recycling your own previous work that you’ve already submitted or
published.

• Plagiarism can be avoided by adopting following tips: Don’t just copy, Use a range of sources,
 Develop your own style, Use quotation marks, Keep good quality notes.

4.What is a predatory publisher? What are the common characteristics of predatory

publisher?
● Defined as “Systematic way for-profit publication of purportedly scholarly content in a
deceptive or fraudulent way without any appropriate review mechanism with regard to quality assurance”
● Predatory Journals take advantage of authors by asking them to publish for a fee without
providing peer-review or editing services
● Exist solely for profit
● The focus of predatory or fake journals is to mirror real journals sufficiently so as to confuse and attract
young and inexperienced researchers to submit their manuscripts
● Hijacked journals are duplicate or fake websites of legitimate ones utilizing the title, ISSN and
other information of the reputable journal. They are often created by a malicious third party for the
purpose of fraudulently offering academicians the opportunity to rapidly publish their research online
for a fee.
● Characteristics of a predatory journal:
○ Attractive names that mimic high ranking legitimate journals No
website or website with no clarity
Unprofessional website layout
Guaranteed acceptance of manuscript upon submission
Invite submission from unrelated disciplines, beyond the stated scope of journal No
editorial board
Articles published are of varied lengths
Description of manuscript handling process is lacking No
retraction policy
Do not follow COPE or WAME guidelines Hidden
charges
Failure to mention copyright
Contact email address is non-journal affiliated
Usage of fake metrics (GIF, SJIF, IC…)
False claims
Editorial members without credentials
● How to find predatory journals and publishers? Pay
and Publish schemes
No peer review process
Article processing charges
Not listed in Directory of open access journals (DOAJ)

Not listed in Ulrich’s periodicals directory Not

 listed in major indexes
Publisher not a member of Open access scholarly publishers association (OASPA) Listed
in Beall’s list or Cabells’ predatory reports
● Role of academic community in fight against predatory publication: Researcher
Check whether journal is listed in DOAJ
Check whether publisher is a member of OASPA
Make sure journal is not listed in Cabells’ predatory reports
Consult research supervisor for guidance
● Check whether listed in Ulrich’s periodicals directory
● Follow updated UGC-CARE listed journals (Group I and Group II)
● Use journal selectors
● “Think-Check-Submit”
● Blacklist: Bealls’ blog, Cabell’s International
● White list: DOAJ, OASPA, COPE, Publons
● Journal selection: Elsevier journal finder, Springer journal suggester, JANE (Journal author
name estimator)….
● UGC has established “Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics” (CARE) for
creation and maintenance of “Reference List of Quality Journals”. CARE members include
Statutory Councils/ Academies/ Government bodies and others like the Association of Indian
Universities.
● The following are the reasons for the establishment of the CARE List:

To promote quality research, academic integrity, and publication

To prevent publications in dubious/predatory/sub-standard journals To
maintain the Reference UGC CARE List of Quality Journals
To develop a methodology and approach for good quality journal identification
● UGC-Care has divided whole list of journals into four main groups which are explained here:
Group A: Research Journals from all disciplines which are indexed in Scopus
(Source List) or Web of Science

Group B: UGC Care List of Journals from the previous list which is qualified as per the
analysis protocols Group C: Recommended journals by UGC-CARE Council members from
all disciplines which are qualified as per the analysis protocols
Group D: Journals submitted by UGC-CARE Universities for all disciplines and languages
which are qualified as per the analysis protocols
The UGC-CARE List now has only TWO groups, instead of the original
FOUR groups to simplify the search
 Module 04

1. What are open access journals? Explain the difference between full open access journals and
hybrid journals.
● Accessibility to research information is paramount for smooth and effective conduct of research
● Hence, access to publications in peer reviewed journals plays an important role
● Limitations in accessing research output:
High number of peer reviewed journals: A library obviously cannot gain access to all
available journals
High subscription fee
Limited library budget
● Open access refers to the practice of making peer-reviewed scholarly research and literature
freely available online to anyone interested in reading it

● Open access is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed
online, free of access charges or other barriers; barriers to copying or reuse are also reduced or removed by
applying an open license for copyright.
● Types of open access (OA) publishing

Open Access Journals (OAJ)

Open Access Repositories (OAR): An open-access repository or open archive is a digital platform that
holds research output and provides free, immediate and permanent access to research results for anyone to use,
download and distribute
● Basic characteristics of OA publishing:

Free availability
Digital in nature
Mostly free for publishing, sometimes may avail processing fees Free
from copyright and licensing restrictions
Research oriented
Have editorial board and peer review process
● Open access has two different versions:
Gratis: Making research available for others to read without having to pay
for it, but does not grant the user the right to make copies, distribute, or modify the work in any
way beyond fair use (free of charge)
Libre: Libre open access is gratis, meaning the research is available free of charge, but it goes
further by granting users additional rights, usually via a Creative Commons license, so that people are free
to reuse
 2.Define plagiarism. Explain the functioning of

i.URKUND (ii) TURNITIN

1. URKUND Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or
without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement.

URKUND is a completely automated system against plagiarism (Anti-plagiarism software) and is

being successfully used at universities and colleges all around ... URKUND is a completely
automated system against plagiarism (Anti-plagiarism software) and is being successfully used at
universities and colleges all around the world.

URKUND's system checks all documents against three central source areas: a. The Internet b.
Published material such as Journals, Books etc. c.

Previously submitted student material (e.g. memoranda, case studies and examination works)
URKUND Plagiarism Detection Software (by Ms Prio Infocenter - Sweden, eGalactic – India
Partner) has been selected by INFLIBNET Centre (Inter University Centre of UGC) under the aegis
of Ministry of HRD to enhance quality and prevent plagiarism in research/academic publications.

The Library, IIT Jammu has taken the initiative to provide URKUND user account to all Faculty and
Research scholar of IIT Jammu.

ii. "Turnitin's similarity checking integrates with Canvas beautifully. It works well as a tool for
educating students about the appropriate use of sources, Turnitin solutions promote academic
integrity, streamline grading and feedback, deter plagiarism, and improve student outcomes.

The Turnitin Similarity Report quantifies how similar your work is to other pieces of writing,
highlighting any areas in your paper that match outside sources. Using that
information, educators can determine if the matches are appropriate or not, based on assignment
expectations and your school's acceptable thresholds.

The Similarity Score represents the percentage of your writing that is similar to something found on
the internet, in our databases, or in someone else’s paper. Similarity does not mean that your work is
plagiarized. Educators should be considering acceptable forms of similarity, like quotations,
citations, and bibliographic material when they review the score.
3.What are common complaints of Predatory Journals?
Predatory Journals take advantage of authors by asking them to publish for a fee without
providing peer-review or editing services
● Exist solely for profit
● The focus of predatory or fake journals is to mirror real journals sufficiently so as to confuse and attract
young and inexperienced researchers to submit their manuscripts
● Hijacked journals are duplicate or fake websites of legitimate ones utilizing the title, ISSN and
other information of the reputable journal. They are often created by a malicious third party for the
purpose of fraudulently offering academicians the opportunity to rapidly publish their research online
for a fee.
● Characteristics of a predatory journal:
○ Attractive names that mimic high ranking legitimate journals No
website or website with no clarity
Unprofessional website layout
Guaranteed acceptance of manuscript upon submission
Invite submission from unrelated disciplines, beyond the stated scope of journal No
editorial board
Articles published are of varied lengths
Description of manuscript handling process is lacking No
retraction policy
Do not follow COPE or WAME guidelines Hidden
charges
Failure to mention copyright
Contact email address is non-journal affiliated
Usage of fake metrics (GIF, SJIF, IC…)
False claims
Editorial members without credentials
 4.What is significance of RPMEO?Explain the green indication
i. RoMEO’s (Rights MEtadata for Open archiving) own database covers around 22000 journals
ii. Aim is to establish institutional repositories and open access archiving
iii. Basically lists copyright and publishing policies thus helping authors in making key
decisions with respect to publication
iv. Gives publication information such as title, ISSNs, URL, Publishers
v. Gives information regarding publisher policy such as OA fee, OA publishing, Embargo,
Licence, Copyright owner, Location and so on for Published, Accepted and Submitted
versions
vi. If an academic author wants to put their research articles online, they are faced with an
increasingly complex situation. Some publishers prohibit authors from using their own articles. Others
allow it, but only under certain conditions. RoMEo helps to clarify the situation. RoMEO contains
publishers’ general policies on self-archiving of journal articles and certain conference series. It provides
information regarding what version of an article can be deposited, and under what conditions?, and so on.
What is a preprint archive?
"Preprints" are preliminary versions of scientific manuscripts that researchers share by posting to
online platforms known as preprint servers before peer-review and publication in an academic journal.
Preprint servers are publicly available online archives that host preprints and their associated data.
reprints and postprints are defined in different ways. The Sherpa Romeo database makes the following
distinction: preprints are all the versions of an academic article or other publication before it has been
submitted for peer review, while the postprint is the form of the article after all the peer review changes are
in place. One can further differentiate between author’s manuscript – the last version which authors send
before publication – and publisher’s version which is also called version of record.
Post print Archive
Publishers have different policies when it comes to publishing preprints and postprints. The key question
with preprints is generally whether they may be archived or not. In the case of postprints, the key issue is
generally the look or format of the publication: many publishers only permit green open access if it is not the
publisher's version-of-record that is self-archived, but rather a version that does not feature the publisher's
own formatting and logo. As a rule, the version that is suitable for archiving is the final version of the article
after all the peer review changes are in place.
The Sherpa Romeo database can provide basic information on the extent to which respective articles from
academic journals may be archived, as well as any format restrictions and embargo periods.
Publishers’ version
The published version is the final version of the article produced by the publisher. When dealing with
hard-copy publications, this is the printed version found in books, proceedings and journals.

The pre-print is the author’s manuscript version of the publication that has been submitted to a journal for
consideration for publication. If published in a peer-reviewed publication, the pre-print does not reflect any
revisions made during the peer-review process.
The post-print is the author’s final manuscript of the publication, which is submitted to the publisher for
publication. If published in a peer-reviewed publication, the post-print contains all revisions made during the
peer-review process. It does not, however, reflect any layout or copy editing done by the publisher in
preparation for publication.
The published version is the final version of the article produced by the publisher. When dealing with hard-
copy publications, this is the printed version found in books, proceedings and journals. In the digital
environment, the published version is usually a PDF available through the publisher’s Web site or through
article databases (although for some online publications, the published version may be in HTML or other file
formats).
 MODULE 05
1. what is the difference between citescore and impact factor?
A primary difference between these two metrics is the period of time for the calculation; while the Journal
Impact Factor calculates the metric using the two previous years as a basis for the citation count, CiteScore
uses a three-year period.
impact factors basically has to do with the average number of citations received by articles published in a
journal within a period window, (example =it can number of citations within the two-year window or three-
year window, or four-year window and it corresponds with the impact fact as indicating 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0 so
within the four year period there might be 308 citations within four years which is 4.0 impact factor
whereas the citation scores simple means the average number of citations received by articles in the journal
over a period.
CiteScore calculation is based on Scopus data, while Impact Factor is based on Web of Science data.
CiteScore uses a 4-year window while Impact Factor adopts a 2-year window.
CiteScore includes more document types indexed by Scopus, including articles, reviews, conference papers,
data papers and book chapters; while Impact Factor only includes "citable documents" which are articles and
reviews.

CiteScore is another metric for measuring journal impact in Scopus. The calculation of CiteScore for the
current year is based on the number of citations received by a journal in the latest 4 years (including the
calculation year), divided by the number of documents published in the journal in those four years. This is
how CiteScore of 2019 is calculated:
Calculation of CiteScore in the Year 2019:

No. of citations received in 2016-2019 to documents published in 2016-

CiteScore
2019
in 2019 =
No. of documents published in 2016-2019
2. Define i10-index. State any Four advantages and four disadvantages i10 index
This very simple measure is only used by Google Scholar, and is another way to help gauge the productivity
of a scholar. Advantages of i10-Index.

Created by Google Scholar and used in Google's My Citations feature.

i10-Index = the number of publications with at least 10 citations.
This very simple measure is only used by Google Scholar, and is another way to help gauge the productivity
of a scholar.
Advantages of i10-Index
1. Very simple and straightforward to calculate
2. It is quantities metric used to access the quality of journal/research work published nu researcher in
his carrier of Research.
3. My Citations in Google Scholar is free and easy to use
4. It is also treated as author level metric used to measure the effieciency of an author.
Eg: author has published 7 papers , out of which 5 papers have 10or more citations it means ur i10-
index is 5
Disadvantages of i10-Index
1. Used only in Google Scholar
 5. Define g-index. State any Four advantages and four disadvantages g-
index
The g-index is an author-level metric suggested in 2006 by Leo Egghe.[1]
The index is calculated based on the distribution of citations received by a given researcher's publications,
such that given a set of articles ranked in decreasing order of the number of citations that they received,
the g-index is the unique largest number such that the top g articles received together at least g2 citations.
Hence, a g-index of 10 indicates that the top 10 publications of an author have been cited at least 100 times
(102), a g-index of 20 indicates that the top 20 publications of an author have been cited 400 times (202).
It can be equivalently defined as the largest number n of highly cited articles for which the average number
of citations is at least n. This is in fact a rewriting of the definition

An example of a g-index (the raw citation data, plotted with stars, allows the h-index to also be extracted for
comparison).

The g-index is an alternative for the older h-index. The h-index does not average the number of citations.
Instead, the h-index only requires a minimum of n citations for the least-cited article in the set and thus
ignores the citation count of very highly cited papers.
Roughly, the effect is that h is the number of papers of a quality threshold that rises as h rises; g allows
citations from higher-cited papers to be used to bolster lower-cited papers in meeting this threshold. In effect,
the g-index is the maximum reachable value of the h-index if a fixed number of citations can be distributed
freely over a fixed number of papers. Therefore, in all cases g is at least h, and is in most cases higher.
[1] The g-index often separates authors based on citations to a greater extent compared to the h-index.
However, unlike the h-index, the g-index saturates whenever the average number of citations for all
published papers exceeds the total number of published papers;
the way it is defined, the g-index is not adapted to this situation. However, if an author with a saturated g-
index publishes more papers, their g-index will increase.

4. Define the terms h-index and il0-index. Hence illustrate on the entries 254. 169, 8. 7. 6, 2
represented in the following table:
The h-index reflects both the number of publications and the number of citations per publication. For
example a scientist with an h-index of 20 has 20 papers cited at least 20 times. The i10-index is the number
of articles with at least 10 citations

For example, if we have a researcher with 5 publications A, B, C, D, and E with 10, 8, 5, 4, and 3 citations,
respectively, the h-index is equal to 4 because the 4th publication has 4 citations and the 5th has only 3. In
contrast, if the same publications have 25, 8, 5, 3, and 3 citations, then the index is 3 (i.e. the 3rd position)
because the fourth paper has only 3 citations.
f(A)=10, f(B)=8, f(C)=5, f(D)=4, f(E)=3 → h-index=4
f(A)=25, f(B)=8, f(C)=5, f(D)=3, f(E)=3 → h-index=3
If we have the function f ordered in decreasing order from the largest value to the lowest one, we can
compute the h-index as follows: h-index (f)