This blog post aims to provide details regarding UGC regulations for promoting academic integrity and preventing plagiarism in higher education institutions.
The rules and regulations related to Plagiarism shall apply to the students, faculty, researchers, and staff of all higher educational institutions in the country.
Page Contents
Objectives
- To create awareness among students, faculty, researchers, and staff about responsible research, thesis, and dissertation conduct, academic integrity promotion, and prevention of misconduct, including plagiarism, in academic writing.
- To establish institutional mechanisms through education and training to facilitate responsible conduct of research, thesis, dissertation, promotion of academic integrity, and deterrence from plagiarism.
- To develop systems to detect plagiarism and to set up mechanisms to prevent plagiarism and punish a student, faculty, researcher, or staff of HEI committing the act of plagiarism.
Similarity checks for exclusion from Plagiarism
The similarity checks for plagiarism shall exclude the following:
- All quoted work is reproduced with all necessary permission and/or attribution.
- All references, bibliography, table of contents, preface and acknowledgements.
- All generic terms, laws, standard symbols and standards equations.
Note:
The research work carried out by the student, faculty, researcher and staff shall be based on original ideas, which shall include abstract, summary, hypothesis, observations, results, conclusions and recommendations only and shall not have any similarities. It shall exclude a common knowledge or coincidental terms, up to fourteen (14) consecutive words.
Levels of Plagiarism as per UGC Regulations
Plagiarism would be quantified into the following levels in ascending order of severity for its definition:
- Level 0: Similarities up to 10% – Minor similarities, no penalty
- Level 1: Similarities above 10% to 40%
- Level 2: Similarities above 40% to 60%
- Level 3: Similarities above 60%
Penalties in case of plagiarism in submission of thesis and dissertations
The Institutional Academic Integrity Panel (IAIP) shall impose a penalty considering the severity of the Plagiarism.
i. Level 0: Similarities up to 10% – Minor Similarities, no penalty.
ii. Level 1: Similarities above 10% to 40% – Such student shall be asked to submit a revised script within a stipulated time period not exceeding 6 months.
iii. Level 2: Similarities above 40% to 60% – Such a student shall be debarred from submitting a revised script for one year.
iv. Level 3: Similarities above 60% -Such student registration for that program shall be canceled.
Penalties in case of plagiarism in academic and research publications
I. Level 0: Similarities up to 10% – Minor similarities, no penalty.
II. Level 1: Similarities above 10% to 40%: Shall be asked to withdraw the manuscript.
III. Level 2: Similarities above 40% to 60%
i) Shall be asked to withdraw manuscript.
ii) Shall be denied a right to one annual increment.
iii) Shall not be allowed to be a supervisor to any new Master’s, M.Phil., Ph.D. Student/scholar for a period of two years.
IV. Level 3: Similarities above 60%
i) Shall be asked to withdraw manuscript.
ii) Shall be denied a right to two successive annual increments.
iii) Shall not be allowed to be a supervisor to any new Master’s, M.Phil., Ph.D. Student/scholar for a period of three years.
Detection and Handling of Plagiarism | Charges of Plagiarism
If any member of the academic community suspects with appropriate proof that a case of plagiarism has happened in any document, he or she shall report it to the Departmental Academic Integrity Panel (DAIP). Upon receipt of such a complaint or allegation the DAIP shall investigate the matter and submit its recommendations to the Institutional Academic Integrity Panel (IAIP) of the HEI.
The authorities of HEI can also take suomotu notice of an act of plagiarism and initiate proceedings under these regulations. Similarly, proceedings can also be initiated by the HEI on the basis of findings of an examiner. All such cases will be investigated by the IAIP.
UGC guidelines for phd thesis format
How to start a Ph.D. research program in India?
UGC assistant professor eligibility/ selection criteria
Free and Paid plagiarism checkers for research papers/ thesis
Sources: UGC
Dr. Sunny is an Assistant Professor in higher education. He has completed his Ph.D. He has a depth of knowledge in the research field and in higher education.