A Faculty Development Programme on Fostering Ethical Practises in Digital Publishing: Approaches for Promoting Responsible and Transparent Research Communication was held between July 10 and 14, 2023.
The Main Objectives of the Event were to empower participants to be responsible and ethical contributors to the scholarly community, ensuring that their research communication aligns with the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the digital publishing era.
The FDP aims to delve into various aspects related to ethical practices in digital publishing, including plagiarism detection and prevention, data integrity and reproducibility, authorship and contributorship, conflicts of interest, peer review transparency, open access and licensing, digital preservation, and the role of technology in promoting responsible research communication.
A one-week FDP on "Fostering Ethical Practises in Digital Publishing: Approaches for Promoting Responsible and Transparent Research Communication." jointly organized by Amity University Haryana and Association of Indian Universities, Academic and Administrative Development Centre in collaboration with Academic Staff College, Amity University Haryana to delve into various aspects related to ethical practices in digital publishing, including plagiarism detection and prevention, data integrity and reproducibility, authorship, and contributorship, conflicts of interest, peer review transparency, open access and licensing, digital preservation, and the role of technology in promoting responsible research communication. The program ran successfully from July 10–14, 2023.
The workshop saw the participation of eighty faculty members representing diverse academic disciplines. The attendees engaged in a series of insightful and robust sessions, focusing on critical topics such as Identifying Fake and Predatory Journals in Academics, The Model of Open Access Publishing,' 'Essentials of Academic Writing, and Quality Research Publishing Standards for High Impact Factor Journals.
The program commenced with opening remarks by Prof. Sanjna Vij, Deputy Director of the Academic Staff College at Amity University Haryana, and the Chief Organiser, who emphasized the vital role of publishing in high-impact journals to enhance the visibility and recognition of our research. In today's digital era, maintaining ethical standards in publication practices is of the utmost importance. Prof. Sanjna Vij urged all researchers and professionals to uphold honesty, integrity, credibility, and transparency in their work. As responsible contributors to the academic community, we must ensure that our research is conducted with the highest ethical standards, promoting the advancement of knowledge and the betterment of society.
Prof. Madhukar, Pro Vice Chancellor, Amity University Haryana, emphasized the utmost significance of ethical practices in research publishing. Prof. Madhukar shed light on two essential aspects of Research ethics: the conduct of Research' and the publication of Research. Prof. Madhukar underscored the increasing relevance of such workshops, particularly in the current era where AI-powered tools contribute to a rise in unethical research and publication practices. He highlighted the week-long sessions' essence, which offers a "Hands-On" and practical approach to learning about digital publishing, ensuring an immersive and valuable learning experience for all attendees.
Prof. U.N. Singh, Chair Professor and Dean, Faculty of Arts, AUH, highlighted the importance of adhering to ethical research and publishing standards. He shared a compelling anecdote about a Bengali poet who had extraordinary poems but lacked documented versions of his work, emphasizing the need for researchers to avoid such pitfalls. Prof. Singh recommended all researchers preserve all versions of their research papers to facilitate a thorough review and extraction of crucial points from previous iterations. Moreover, he stressed the significance of harnessing technology to our advantage and familiarising ourselves with the latest features of common software to enhance efficiency and productivity.
During the first session, Prof. Sumit Narula, Director, ASCO, AUH, and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Content, Community, and Communication (a Scopus-indexed Q3 journal), addressed the audience, shedding light on the unethical practices prevalent in the academic publishing domain. He emphasized the alarming issue of researchers being misled into publishing in fake, cloned, and Predatory journals. Prof. Narula provided valuable insights into various metrics used in academic research, such as Impact Factor, H-Index, i-10 index, and citation Score, discussing their relevance in the context of current research publishing trends. The interactive workshop included an engaging question-and-answer segment where attendees sought clarity on safeguarding measures against unethical publishing practices, followed by practical exercises.
The second day started with a brief report of the first day, followed by Prof. Narula’s session, wherein he shared a five-step formula to identify cloned and predatory journals, advising attendees to watch out for obvious red flags, such as spelling errors on journal websites and the absence of contact details for editorial teams, particularly official institutional email IDs. Furthermore, he stressed the crucial need for researchers to be well-informed about the unethical nexus in academic publishing and encouraged them to approach their work with a critical mindset while adopting guided journal-checking practices to protect the integrity of research and knowledge. Towards the conclusion of the session, Prof. Narula introduced a cutting-edge mobile application he developed, the Amity Quality Journal Chequer Mobile App. This revolutionary app serves as a powerful tool to differentiate between legitimate and fake academic journals, further empowering researchers to make informed decisions about their publishing choices. The session concluded with a variety of practical exercises and engaging case studies.
On Day 3, attendees were guided by Dr. Gynaneshwar Kumar Rao, Associate Professor at ASAS, AUH, through crucial aspects of academic writing, spanning from preparation to publishing. Dr. Rao emphasized the importance of coherence among all sections of a research paper, ensuring a seamless connection to the paper's central theme. He aptly described good paper writing as a form of storytelling, capturing the essence of effective communication. Moreover, the concept of 'reproducibility of research' was expounded upon by Dr. Rao. This pertains to the ability to reproduce the results and findings of one's research using the same methods, allowing anyone other than the author to validate the study's outcomes. Through diverse examples and interactive worksheets, attendees gained insight into various manuscript types and learned about crafting different sections of a research paper. Additionally, Dr. Rao addressed the common issues that lead to manuscript rejection, including problems with style, format, grammar, and overall paper presentation. Attendees were made aware of the significance of meticulous attention to detail, ensuring a well-structured, error-free, and compelling paper for successful publication. The session concluded with a variety of practical exercises and engaging case studies.
On Day Four, Prof. Narula took another important session on a vital concern for all researchers: the challenge of being accepted by journals indexed in reputed databases like Scopus and the Web of Sciences. Drawing from his own experiences of publishing with renowned publishers like Emerald Publishing, PLOS (Public Library of Science), Wiley, etc., he explained copyright licensing and the open access publishing business model: platinum/Diamond Open Access, Gold Open Access, hybrid open access, Subscription models, and lastly, the green/Archiving Model. He imparted an important hands-on skill to the attendees with the use of reference management software like Mendeley, EndNote, and Citavi, including the use of Mendeley and how it can be synced with MS Word, allowing easy and quick referencing.
On the final day, Dr. Rishi Manrai, Associate Professor, ABS, AUH, spoke about the dos and Don’ts when targeting High Impact Factor Journals. He commenced his session with the selection of research topics and the common challenges faced in writing a quality manuscript. He informed the attendees about renowned indexing lists for different academic disciplines such as Social Sciences (SSCI: Social Science Citation Index), Sciences (SCI: Science Citation Index), ABDC (A* and A category), ABS (Associations of Business Schools, UK), and FT (Financial Times) 50. "It’s wise to target journals indexed in multiple renowned research databases; inclusion in multiple indexes is indicative of the journal’s reliability, long-term quality, and fair publication practices," said Dr. Manrai, who has many High Impact Factor journal publications to his credit. He shared useful tips for crafting a paper's Title, Introduction, and abstract, along with processes about literature review, research design, research gap analysis, and hypothesis development. The session concluded with a variety of practical exercises and engaging case studies.
At the culminating event of the week-long, enlightening, and vibrant sessions, Prof. (Dr.) P.B. Sharma, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of Amity University Haryana, graced the occasion with his valedictory address. Prof. Sharma expressed heartfelt joy and pride in AUH for providing an exceptional platform for esteemed experts in the field of academic research and publishing. The program served as an opportunity to acknowledge and enlighten researchers and fellow faculty members on the intricacies of publishing in high-impact research journals.
In his address, Prof. Sharma firmly discouraged any intentional indulgence in unethical research and publishing practices. Drawing from his vast teaching and research experiences at highly reputed institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he reminded everyone of how such practices can adversely impact the researcher's reputation and tarnish the image of the institution they represent. Prof. Sharma extended his congratulations to all attendees for actively participating in and benefiting from the enriching insights and learning experiences provided by the Hands-on workshop. He assured everyone of the university's commitment to organizing many more such enlightening sessions in the future.
In conclusion, Prof. Sharma's words echoed the spirit of academic integrity and dedication to quality research, fostering a culture of excellence at Amity University Haryana.