Ethics
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering expects students to respect and maintain high ethical standards that govern all phases of research and graduate studies.
Related Policy:
Doctoral Degree: Performance Standards and Progress
Master's Degree: Performance Standards and Progress
Thesis
The dissertation is not only a representation of a student’s hard work, it is also a reflection on the adviser, the department, the Graduate School, and the University of Minnesota
NSF Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires institutions to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to everyone who participates in or conducts research supported by NSF, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff.
Many University of Minnesota courses and seminars meet the research ethics training requirement for NSF. Some are for-credit offerings and some are not. Enrollment for some will be limited to students accepted into a specific degree program. All courses, seminars or other activities must include the following core topics:
● Authorship and plagiarism - roles and responsibilities of being an author; how different disciplines approach co-authorship; how to define, identify and avoid the many forms plagiarism can take
● Data/research integrity - how to collect, store, protect and share data in ways that protect the validity and accuracy of the research and scholarship
● Reporting misconduct - responsibilities of student researchers for identifying and reporting misconduct; University resources for reporting and for self-protection
We encourage you to view the following links:
On Being a Scientist
Download the free PDF, read online, or buy the book.
Contributors
National Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Engineering; Institute of Medicine; Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
Description
The scientific research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the results reported by others are valid. Society trusts that the results of research reflect an honest attempt by scientists to describe the world accurately and without bias. But this trust will endure only if the scientific community devotes itself to exemplifying and transmitting the values associated with ethical scientific conduct.
On Being a Scientist was designed to supplement the informal lessons in ethics provided by research supervisors and mentors. The book describes the ethical foundations of scientific practices and some of the personal and professional issues that researchers encounter in their work. It applies to all forms of research--whether in academic, industrial, or governmental settings-and to all scientific disciplines.
This third edition of On Being a Scientist reflects developments since the publication of the original edition in 1989 and a second edition in 1995. A continuing feature of this edition is the inclusion of a number of hypothetical scenarios offering guidance in thinking about and discussing these scenarios.
On Being a Scientist is aimed primarily at graduate students and beginning researchers, but its lessons apply to all scientists at all stages of their scientific careers.