Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Graduate School Entrance Examination
Notes on creating Research Proposal and Study Plan etc.
At Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, we seek applicants who possess the following qualities andabilities, as outlined in our Admission Policy:
1. Specialized knowledge and global perspective required to pursue advanced studies in one’s
graduate school and division
2. Analytical skills, perceptiveness, and aptitude to solve real-world problems
3. Requisite English language proficiency for research and study
4. Desire to contribute to and make full use of a multicultural collaborative learning environment
To assess these qualities and abilities, we request the submission of Research Proposal, Study Plan,
personal statements, and online recorded video interviews. When submitting these documents, pleasekeep the following points in mind:> Originality of research
Universities are places to pursue learning and seek truth. Especially for those studying at thegraduate school level, there are many opportunities to engage in advanced research and create papers
and reports. What is important in these cases is your own original ideas and opinions. It goes without sayingthat the contents found in previous studies, other people's ideas, information obtained from internet
searches, and even information output by generative AI systems like ChatGPT, are not one's own
thoughts and achievements. Directly using such content may not only lack originality but also lead toplagiarism, copyright infringement, and ethical issues in research. Learning from previous studies,exchanging ideas with others, and utilizing generative AI are important for deepening research, butthese activities should be part of the process of driving your own answers, and the outcomes should
include originality.

> Plagiarism
Plagiarism refers to the unauthorized replication or reproduction of copyrighted material in Research
Proposal or other documents without proper citation. It is an act that goes against the rules and moralsof academia. Not only academic papers, books, reports created by others, or internet sources but also
information output by generative AI can be treated as plagiarism if used without proper citation. Suchacts of plagiarism are violations of copyright law and can result in imprisonment or fines. Ritsumeikan
Asia Pacific University considers these forms of plagiarism, inappropriate citations, and datafabrication as acts of misconduct. At Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, students are expected to use
the APA (American Psychological Association) style for citing references in papers and reports. You arefree to use writing styles other than APA for application documents, but please consider it as a reference.
When using generative AI, please refer to the following rules.

> Self-plagiarism
At Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, if you utilize your past graduation theses or class reports towrite Research Proposal, Study Plan or other documents, it will also be considered as self-plagiarism.
When quoting from your own past documents, including those that have not been published orpresented at academic conferences, please provide proper references, following the examples below.
While it is acceptable to consistently study the same research topic from your undergraduate tograduate studies, if you write Research Proposal, Study Plan or other documents using content fromyour past research, even with proper citations, you may receive a lower evaluation if the developmental
nature of the research is not recognized.
If you are using parts or the entire content of a research plan for application documents to otheruniversities, our application system provides a question where you can report this situation. Please
make use of it.

Example of statement if AI is used:Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies and purpose for the use in
the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript, before the References list.
Statement: During the preparation of this work the author used [the name of the model] in order to[REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed andtake(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Citation example to avoid self-plagiarism:>In-text citation (Author, year)
The stock estimate process, on which such cooperation is based, must be founded on science. However,separating "politics" out of the scientific process is difficult, and the appropriate "distance" within theindustry-academic-government cooperation varies from a country to another, as well as from one
international regime to another. (Sato, 2018).

>ReferenceAuthor. (year). title of paper, Unpublished manuscript submitted in class of “Name of class". Name ofUniversity.
Sato, Y. (2018). Scientific knowledge and policymaking--a comparative study of international tuna
resource management regimes, Unpublished manuscript submitted in class of “Environment andNatural Resources Conservation”. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
Sato, Y. (2018). Scientific knowledge and policymaking--a comparative study of international tuna
resource management regimes, Unpublished manuscript submitted as final paper. Ritsumeikan Asia
Pacific University.