2.E.1
Broad institutional guidelines for research integrity and scholarly practice are outlined in IU ACA-30 (24-0166) and are promulgated by the IU Office of Research Administration (ORA); for a list of services, see 24-0167. Our dean for research and graduate studies coordinates with the ORA to ensure that guidelines are respected, and the campus publishes its own institutional research policy manual (24-0168).
Besides research integrity, the ORA handles compliance for many areas including biosafety, radiation safety, conflict-of-interest, and export control (24-0169). ORA manages compliance for animal and human subjects through the Institutional Research Board (IRB). The Dean for Research sits on the IU Executive Committee, and there is also a dedicated IRB liaison on campus.
Research
IU has research policies which govern the administration of all IU research endeavors:
- ACA-30: Research Misconduct (24-0166)
- RP-11-004: Research with Human Subjects (24-0170)
- RP-11-001: Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research and Education (24-0171)
All researchers follow the protocols set by the IRB. The process for undergoing review is described for students and faculty and accessible on the Academic Affairs website (24-0172). Faculty and students who conduct research are expected to complete human subjects training (24-0173) and complete a conflict-of-interest form (24-0174) before their proposal undergoes review (24-0175).
Animal research is conducted following U.S. government guidelines as formulated in the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et. seq.) and other legislation, as well as principles established by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources of the National Academy of Sciences. IU Southeast also has an animal research review board which evaluates studies involving the use of animals. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) meets monthly to review any research involving animals on campus. The IACUC is mandated by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). IU Southeast is registered with the USDA as required when regulated species are the subject of research. All researchers on our campus follow ethical protocols necessary for humane research.
2.E.2
The student learning outcomes for written communication at IU Southeast require that students
“develop, assert and support a focused thesis with appropriate reasoning and adequate evidence;” “demonstrate proficiency in reading, evaluating, analyzing, and using material collected from electronic sources;” and “use and cite the work of others appropriately, avoiding plagiarism, misquoting, and misreading” (24-0047).
There is a list of courses that can fulfill the GenEd core in written communication (24-0176), and these courses are evaluated regularly by the Faculty Senate GenEd Committee (described in 3.B.1). This ensures that students are provided with the skills and intellectual framework to be ethical researchers.
The dean for research supports research and creativity among faculty and students. The dean for research’s office provides internal grant funding for student research fellowships, student assistants for faculty research projects, and a variety of faculty research and creative projects. They also support faculty development in research by sponsoring workshops on finding funding sources, academic publishing, and connecting with IU-wide research resources such as Foundation Relations. Faculty and staff can access grant writing assistance through our professional staff grant consultant or through IU Proposal Development Services. The dean for research and the grant consultant aid faculty in preparing and submitting proposals and meeting funding requirements. In addition, the research office provides guidance to faculty and students on research compliance such as studies with human subjects.
Library faculty and staff in The Writing Center are committed to assuring that students understand the ethical use of information, not only to avoid charges of plagiarism but also as a fundamental aspect of effective scholarship. Information ethics are embedded in the core of the Library Information Literacy Instruction Program, which is also part of the GenEd curriculum. This effort helps students develop skills that enable them to identify, access, critically evaluate, and ethically use appropriate information resources in response to specific information needs (24-0178), thereby allowing students to participate in multiple information landscapes (academic, professional, personal) more thoroughly. The program’s learning outcomes assesses whether “students can identify information needs; locate, use and evaluate information ethically” (24-0047). More specifically, information literacy programmatic learning outcomes include the information literacy instruction sessions that are taught in First-Year Seminar (FYS) and a few other courses (24-0177).
2.E.3
IU Southeast policies and definitions of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are available in multiple places on our website (24-0179). Resources are available to introduce students to the basics of academic integrity, including enrollment in an IU Expand course focused on Learning with Integrity (24-0180). Additionally, students can enroll in a Canvas course to enhance their understanding of plagiarism. In addition, the School of Business has an honor code
“to reinforce for School of Business students the importance that our school places on ethical conduct as well as the increasing emphasis being placed on ethical behavior within the business community” (24-0181).
The School of Nursing abides by the ANA code of Ethics for Nurses (for overview, see: 24-0539).
2.E.4
Article II.1 of The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct is devoted to policies on academic honesty and integrity (24-0182; 24-0183). In addition, the IU Southeast Faculty Manual encourages instructors “to foster the intellectual honesty…of students,” and to “explain clearly the meaning of cheating and plagiarism as they apply in the context of specific courses” (24-0088, p.55). While faculty have discretion for how they attend to instances of academic dishonesty, a larger framework exists to assure consistency in response to infractions. Additionally, The Writing Center and Librarians have developed a workshop which they regularly implement throughout the school year that teaches students strategies that improve their writing and reduce chances of plagiarism (24-0179; 24-0608).
Institutional Effectiveness adheres to the AIR Code of ethics as a part of their work (24-0184). These principles guide their analysis, considering the importance of accurate and representative data used to make important decisions on campus.
