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By: Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi, UNIMAS Vice Chancellor
KOTA SAMARAHAN, 5th July 2019: Publication of papers in the indexed or high impact journals by the postgraduate student is fundamental as they represent a special population within the research and intellectual community. In most universities, postgraduate students are required to publish research papers and co-authored by their supervisor(s). Determining authorship credit can be difficult and it can complicate the supervisor-student relationship. Therefore, this issue deserves further exploration and students indeed should not be forced to co-author their papers with their supervisors.
All requirements pertaining to the research will be clearly explained and made explicit including the authorship of publications during the initial stage of graduate study supervision between the supervisor and student. In addition, the roles of a supervisor(s) must be clarified in the Graduate Study Regulations.
To foster a trusting learning environment, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to involve the students in the academic integrity exercise. The supervisor should inculcate the students with the culture of academic honesty since the value is paramount to student success and credibility as postgraduate student. Any postgraduate students should receive proper supervision to ensure the completion of their research from the thesis writing process to viva-voce examination stage. Supervisors play a significant role in guiding, mentoring, and motivating students in all aspects of their study to help students achieve their academic endeavor.
The postgraduate study supervision process involves a thorough and systematic process which signifies the contribution of the supervisor in the student’s work. Thus, it is quite a misleading statement to claim that supervisor should not be considered in the authorship of the postgraduate students’ research if all the requirements have been substantially fulfilled.
All academicians have been well-informed about the plagiarism and academic misconduct. University should take a zero-tolerance approach to academic dishonesty of any kind. Most universities in Malaysia have academic integrity policies and procedures to prevent and discourage plagiarism. The consequences of plagiarism can be personal, professional, ethical, and legal. Once accused of plagiarism, a person will most likely always be regarded with suspicion. Ignorance is not an excuse. Accusing someone of research misconduct is very serious and would raise some concerns as it might impose negative implication on someone’s career, reputation and their future.
The determination of authorship credit on any research publication should be based on relative contribution by taking into account the involvement in the research process itself including the designing of the research, data collection and analysis, and report writing. The authorship credit shall not be awarded solely based on the administrative roles and technical tasks. All authors must be fully responsible for the entire publication and in implementing their specific roles.
As suggested by the minister, a proper Committee on Academic Integrity must be established to review and conduct investigations on the issues related to plagiarism and academic misconducts. The committee should guide decisions on the types of action that should be taken and recommend strategies for strengthening the ability of faculty and administrators to recognize and deal with instances of academic misconduct.
