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Purpose and Significance of Conducting Research at Waseda University
Liyun Chen (5623A003)
Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies
Research Integrity
July 19th, 2023
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Introduction
Conducting research with integrity is an essential responsibility for a researcher. Research Integrity
also applied to newly enrolled university students that aspire to conduct research. This paper is divided into
four sections, beginning with the purpose of conducting research at Waseda University, then it will move
on to a discussion of how misconduct can be prevented, and it is later followed by the significance to
conduct research at Waseda University, and lastly conclude with a summary.
Purpose
According to Waseda University Academic Research Ethics Charter, conducting research at Waseda
University means promoting contributions to human welfare and world peace through academic research
with the underlying principle of Academic Independence and Enterprising Spirit. As a student at Waseda,
you will have the opportunity to receive high-quality education and research training. Since Waseda
University has granted students the right to access abundant academic resources and conduct academic
research free from unnecessary constraints, students should conform to the manner to conduct their
research with integrity.
In master’s programs, students are expected to assess the existing knowledge in the field, raise
questions from the research gap, and solve them independently. Students should bear the social
responsibility as a researcher, that can conduct research with integrity and make contributions to human
welfare and society.
Preventing Misconduct
Misconduct in academic research is common, and it could happen intentionally or incidentally. It was
quite time-consuming to collect relevant research as sources to support our arguments. Moreover, some
key literature is hard to find and access. Sometimes, it is of desire to take shortcuts, such as citing
secondary sources and not studying the literature adequately. However, there is a case of misconduct
depicted in the lecture with students who cite secondary sources without referencing the original sources
which leads to falsification in research. This case serves as a reminder that students should not simply cite
secondary sources without investigating the sources. Honesty and credits always come first, any
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falsification and fabrication, or plagiarism are not allowed, and the students who violate the rules will face
serious consequences.
During the process of conducting research, the data should be managed with care. Therefore, in terms
of surveys and interviews, which is a common method used in research in humanities, anonymity and how
to save the data without leakage should be considered. Violation of these principles is detrimental to
human welfare and results in biased results, which is contrary to the purpose of conducting research. It is
also addressed clearly in the Waseda University Academic Research Ethics Charter that researchers must
respect human rights, protect personal information, avoid harassment and discrimination based on their
nationality, sex, age, or any other reason, and work consistently with others to prevent this. The researcher
must make sure that all the participants have a full understanding of the research, and that they consent to
the study under their free will. The shortcut of asking irrelevant stakeholders to participate is not only
irrelevant to the study, but we also aren't sure if they are willing to participate or are under social pressure.
In addition, proper formatting is essential; otherwise, the work would be considered plagiarism.
Students should remember that giving credit to the previous researcher is so crucial because, without the
foundation of previous research, knowledge would not advance. To prevent academic misconduct, revision
is important. Students are supposed to leave time for revision, and it would be a lot better if other people or
supervisors could help with the review. Students may engage in unintentional misconduct on occasion,
therefore, it is recommended to leave sufficient time for revision and to modify our work multiple times to
maintain research integrity.
Significance
Aside from getting precious advice and insights from the supervisor, through Waseda University's
education and training and by adhering to research integrity when conducting research at Waseda
University, even students with limited research experience can learn to make minor contributions to the
field, human welfare, and world peace. The rigor of academia is what makes academic research so
validating. Thanks to repeated reminders from Waseda University and the department office, every student
at Waseda University should understand the significance of research integrity and the fundamental
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principles by now. During the process of research, the awareness of research integrity should be born in
mind and prevent fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and violations of law and regulation as well. The
students are recommended to consult the Office of Research Ethics when they are not sure about the
regulations when conducting research.
Conclusion
Research takes time, as students are to find existing literature as the base of their further studies and
the support for their claims. During the writing process, the flow of research may somehow swing, and the
students must redo the process from the very beginning. Furthermore, due to the published year and the
format of the publication (physical or online), collecting relevant sources can take a long time. However,
regardless of how tedious this process may be, it is the researcher's responsibility to conduct research in
this rigorous manner with proper citations.
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Reference
Waseda University. (n.d.). Charter/Code of Conduct. Waseda University Academic Research Ethics
Charter. https://www.waseda.jp/inst/ore/en/rules/
