UGC Releases Guidance Document On Academic Research Practices
The higher education regulatory body, University Grants Commission (UGC), has released a ‘guidance document' on ‘Good Academic Research Practices'. The document, released today by the Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India Professor Vijay Raghavan seeks to guide scholars through the “research lifecycle for quality, impactful, and ethical research”. The document has been drafted in collaboration with Clarivate Web of Science.
The document provides a general framework for enhancing research integrity by focusing on “potential threats” and good practices during the research stages -- from the initial selection of the research problem, through to the dissemination of the research outputs, to fellow researchers, decision-makers, and the public at large. Research misconduct, as per the guidance document, is defined in terms of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
Professor Vijay Raghavan, during the release of the document, mentioned the importance of creating awareness about good practices in academic research as research grows in the country. While Professor Bhushan Patwardhan, Vice Chairman, UGC, present during the launch gave an overview of the document “Good Academic Research Practices”.
Professor Rakesh Bhatnagar, Vice Chancellor, Banaras Hindu University, in a UGC statement said: “This document should be made as a compulsory reading for PhD scholars before they embark on the programme.”
Prof Anand Desai, Policy and Assessment Advisor, Clarivate said that while undertaking research it is essential to ensure research integrity and this document comes in handy for all potential researchers and learners.