Lecture 24: Research Ethics &

Plagiarism

BITS F112: Technical Report Writing

BITS Pilani K.K. Birla Goa Campus

Ethics

• A system of moral principles

• The values relating to human conduct, with respect to

the rightness and wrongness of certain actions, and to
the motives and ends of such actions

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Ethics in professional writing

Principles guiding:

• The presentation of information

• Use and documentation of sources

• Ethical dilemmas when reading, researching, writing and

producing technical documents

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Presentation of information

• Research that does not support project goals

• Suppressing relevant information

• Limited sources of information

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Presentation of information

• Presenting visual information ethically

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Presentation of information

• Presenting visual information ethically

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Presentation of information

• Presenting visual information ethically

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Reliability of sources

• Popular or scholarly sources?

• Peer reviewed?

• Verifiable by other sources?

• Quality of methods and argumentation?

• Credibility?

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Documenting sources

1. All research draws on the work of others

a. Theories or hypothesis

b. Data including images, tables, audio and video.

c. Ideas

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Documenting sources

2. Academic credibility

a) Acknowledges and credits the work of others

b) Avoids plagiarism
c) Demonstrate the quality of your information
d) Provides information about original sources
e) Removes clutter from article while also showing support
for your information

10

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Documenting sources

3. Two-major referencing styles

a. Numbered style [e.g. IEEE style]
b. Author-date style [e.g. APA style]

11

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Documenting sources

3. Two-major referencing styles

a. Numbered style

b. Author-date style [e.g. Harvard referencing style]

4. Two elements when referencing

a. Citation: number or note within the text

b. Bibliography: Corresponding (to citation) detailed

list at the end of the paper 12

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Legal issues

• Intellectual Property

• Patents and Trademarks

• Copyright

• Consumer protection

• Contract and liability laws

13

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

Writing

• Do not mislead

• Do not manipulate

• Do not stereotype

14

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956