Code of Ethics for Research Conduct

Introduction

Father Muller institution strongly encourages staff and students to be active researchers and contribute knowledge in their respective fields of specialization. Father Muller Charitable Institutions follow the highest ethical standards in conducting research. All Researchers adhere to ICMR guidelines, the law of the land, and the public interest.

The Code of conduct of research applies to all researchers, including academic staff, research assistants, postdoctoral researchers, postgraduate, undergraduate students, visiting researcher scholars, and other staff involved in the research process (including technical, clerical, clinical, and administrative staff)

Researchers must adhere to the following ethical principles of ICMR guidelines.

• The principle of voluntariness:Respect for the participant's right to participate in research or to withdraw from the research at any time.
• Principle of non-exploitation: All research participants are equitably selected; the benefits and burdens are distributed fairly, without arbitrariness or discrimination.
  Sufficient safeguards measures ensured to protect vulnerable groups.
• Principle of social responsibility:All research is planned and conducted to avoid creating social divisions or disturbing social harmony in community relationships.
• Principle of privacy and Confidentiality: Research Subject's identity and records are kept confidential; however, under certain circumstances (suicidal ideation, homicidal tendency, HIV positive status, Etc.), identity may be revealed when required by a court of law. The Intrusion into participants' privacy kept to the minimum necessary to fulfill the research purposes.
• Principle of risk minimization: Research studies are designed to minimize the risks and maximize potential benefits to research participants;
  All research is conducted to the highest possible health and safety standards,
  The researcher must adhere to current safety practices and legal requirements. Researchers working with children and other vulnerable populations must comply with relevant guidelines.
• Principle of maximization of benefit :In all studies, due care is taken to conduct the research to maximize the benefits of the research participants and society.
• The principle of professional competence:All research is planned, conducted, evaluated, and monitored by competent persons who have the appropriate and relevant qualifications, experience, and training.
  All Researchers must actively maintain professional competence and knowledge within their areas of expertise and be aware of their training and expertise limits.
  Researchers must recognize and manage potential harms and risks relating to their research.
• Principle of transparency and accountability: Stakeholders involved in research should disclose any existing conflict of interest and manage it appropriately. The research should be conducted fairly, honestly, impartial, and transparent,
  All Researchers should have accountability-related records, data, and notes.
  All data should be retained for the required period for possible external scrutiny/ audit.
• Principle of the totality of responsibility: All stakeholders should adhere to the professional, social, and moral responsibilities and comply with ethical and related regulations both directly or indirectly.
• 10.Principle of environmental protection :All Researchers should ensure the protection of the environment and resources at all stages of the research, as per the guidelines and regulations of competent authorities.

Compliance with Standards and Procedures

Heads of College, / Centre, and other relevant academic and administrative authorities ensure that the research is conducted following good Clinical research practice.

All researchers must observe relevant standards recommended by the competent authorities.

All Researchers must comply with any relevant audit or monitoring procedures, whether internal or external.

Managing Research Projects

Researchers must ensure compliance with sponsor, institutional, legal, ethical, and moral obligations in managing projects

All Researchers should familiarize themselves with the terms and conditions of the research contract or agreement entered into by the institution on their behalf.

Researchers must follow established institutional financial procedures, including procurement, and must practice economy in using resources.

Principal investigators must ensure that projects operate within their allocated budget and that no penalties are incurred by failure to meet sponsors’ requirements.

Supervision and Mentoring

Principal investigators and supervisors must mentor their team members and offer specific guidance.

Researchers must ensure that all persons involved in the conduct of research are adequately trained and perform their responsibilities competently.

Honesty

Researchers must be honest about their actions in research and in their responses to the actions of other researchers work.

Research must be honest in planning, design, applying funds, generating and analyzing data, writing, publishing results, grant and paper reviewing.

Research should duly acknowledge all the direct and indirect contributions of colleagues, collaborators, and others.

Under no circumstances do researchers engage in plagiarism, fabrication of results.

All researchers should avoid piracy, falsification, misrepresenting, exaggerating, or distorting their findings. If any discrepancies arise where policies, regulations, or contractual terms and conditions are unclear, researchers must take active steps to resolve the discrepancies.

Accuracy

Researchers must ensure that all data obtained from research is correct and accurate. If any deviations the researcher must take appropriate steps to correct or retract the information in all outlets where it has appeared

All Researchers must avoid any bias in interpreting results due to any explicit or implied pressure or inducement that would compromise the integrity of the research results.

Conflict of Interest

Researchers must comply with the declaration of conflicts of interest. Each author is answerable for any complaint or misconduct associated with research work.

Respect for the Rights and Dignity

• Researchers must respect participants' moral and cultural values.
• Researchers must safeguard the rights and dignity of vulnerable individuals and groups.
• The participants of the research shall have the right to refuse or withdraw from the research work at any time of the study.

Informed Consent

All Researchers must obtain prior consent from participants, except where the absence of consent is permitted by law or governmental or with the written approval by the ethics committee.

All Informed consent must be in writing unless the IEC has approved alternative means. If the participant is legally incapable of providing consent or is a child, the participant's legal guardian is in line with best practice as defined by the appropriate Ethics Committee.

Data Management

Researchers are responsible for ensuring access to Data as per FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

All Researchers are to keep clear and accurate records of research procedures and the results obtained throughout their work, including interim results.

Record keeping is also crucial for the protection of intellectual property rights.

Data generated in the course of research must be kept securely in paper or electronic form, as appropriate and backup records must always be kept for data stored in a computer.

All Data must be stored in such a way that permits a complete retrospective audit, if necessary, and records must be monitored regularly to ensure their completeness and accuracy.

The data should be stored for a minimum of ten years after completing a research project or perpetually where the funding body requires it.

The Principal Investigator should ensure that data retention meets the funding body's requirements.

Publication Practice

The institution supports the freedom to publish research findings. In contracts with external funders, the right to publish the results must be discussed.

All publications are through peer-reviewed journals, books, presentations, or other suitable media.

The institution requires that all authors listed have made a significant contribution to the work and are familiar with its content.

The authorship is decided at the beginning of the project; only those who contribute to the work should be included as authors.

The order of the author's names reflects the weight of an individual's contributions. The formal collaborators or supported the research, directly or indirectly, must be properly acknowledged.

The funded research projects should be acknowledged appropriately with grant numbers and funding agencies.

Research misconduct

The violations in research practice are considered serious misconduct. The researcher will lose integrity if any distortion in the research record and damage the research process.

Further, it tarnishes the images of the institution. The following includes misconduct but is not limited to Fabrication of data, i.e., making up results and recording them as if they were real; Falsification of data, i.e., manipulating research materials, equipment or processes, or changing, omitting, or suppressing data or results without justification; and

Plagiarism

They are quoting other work and ideas without giving proper credit, thus violating the rights of the original author(s) to their intellectual outputs.

Self-plagiarism. Re-publishing substantive parts of one's own earlier publications, including translations, without duly acknowledging the original; citing selectively to enhance one's findings or please editors, reviewers, or colleagues.

The manipulating authorship or denigrating the role of other researchers in publications; claiming undeserved authorship, denying authorship to contributors, artificially proliferating publications through, for example, inappropriately fragmenting single coherent bodies of research into as many publications as possible, while recognizing that multiple publications may validly emanate from a research program.

Financial and other malpractice

Peer review abuse, non-disclosure of a conflict of interest, misrepresenting credentials; and poor research procedures, e.g., harmful, dangerous, or unethical research methods, non-observation of health and safety standards.

Procedure for suspected Research Misconduct/Disputes

Complaints of possible infringements of this Code of research conduct should be in writing to the head of the respective colleges. The complainant will not suffer any penalty for an allegation of research misconduct in good faith. However, disciplinary action was taken against complainants found to have made allegations in bad faith.

A committee constituted by the competent authority will review the complaints; Appropriate action is upon its report, appropriate action will be taken. The disciplinary sanctions may include but are not limited to one or a combination of the following: verbal warning; written warning; final written warning; disciplinary suspension; demotion; and dismissal.