Scientific laboratories normally have written, detailed and explicit procedures for the gathering, storage, analysis and retention of data so that results can, when necessary, be checked by others. The University has nominated several persons as Advisers on Integrity in Research whose task is to give confidential advice to staff and students on such matters as misconduct in research, the rights and duties of postgraduate supervisors, and procedures for dealing with allegations of research misconduct within the University. Advisers are the Chairpersons of the various Ethics Review Committees of the University and the University Ethics Officer. The contact number for the most appropriate Adviser can be obtained from the Ethics Officer. Two issues of importance in the ethical conduct of research are plagiarism and research fraud .
Plagiarism is defined as reproduction and presentation of the work of others without acknowledgment.
It is the attempt by an individual to receive credit for the ideas or felicitous language of others. The most easily detected examples of plagiarism occur when a major segment of another s work is used without acknowledgment. Plagiarism may also be implicit and occur through presenting as novel the ideas of others but paraphrasing the words used in the original text. In all academic work, and especially in a thesis, it is important to cite clearly, concisely, and accurately the sources from which information has been derived, the sources of quotations, and the authorities for statements of fact and opinion. Failure to acknowledge adequately the work of predecessors, co-workers, and research assistants is another form of plagiarism.