Plagiarism

What is the problem and what can be done?

"Two high-level Norwegian politicians are under investigation by their alma maters for plagiarism in relation to their masters theses in cases that have attracted a frenzy of media attention and have ignited heated debate over the way universities handle plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty", says universityworldnews.com in a current article.

The news website is referring to Sandra Borch, who left her position as minister of research and higher education when the news of her plagiarism was known to the public, and Ingvild Kjerkol who is still minister of health and care services. 

Director of The National Research Ethics Committees Helene Ingierd commented on the public debate and what can be done to avoid cases of plagiarism in the future. 

“Overall, I think these [current] cases emphasise the need for awareness and knowledge of research ethical norms such as honesty, collegiality and accountability.

“Whereas it is important to focus on the need to build good systems to deal with possible fraud and misconduct, I also see the need to work even harder to promote a good research culture at the institutions.

“This includes efforts to provide training in research ethics, but also that supervisors, senior researchers, and leaders at all levels lead by example and manage to give the message that there is no good research without adherence to ethical research norms,” Ingierd said.

Read the full article: Ministerial plagiarism cases spark heated public debate (universityworldnews.com)

Are those leading the AI race taking unacceptable risks for all of us?

This was one of the questions posed to scientist and author Brian Christian at the NENT webinar on AI and Research Ethics. Christian introduced the alignment problem and its possible solutions.

He also named one of the most dangerous alignment problems we face.

Read our article on the webinar: Webinar on ethical AI: «Incrementalism is wise»

Priority topic 2023: The role of supervisors

Supervisors can act as important role models of research ethics and research integrity (RE/RI) in research environments. They have a specific responsibility for supervising and training PhD-candidates and students. RE/RI must be part of the training. Therefore, supervisors themselves must have sufficient and up-to-date knowledge on these topics.

In this article we have collected some important resources that apply to (1) Challenges concerning RE/RI in the supervisor relationship; and (2) Supervisor's responsibility for training in RE/RI. 

This overview is meant for supervisors and institutions, but also for students.

Read more

English edition of the Research Ethics Magazine

For the ENRIO Congress 2023, we have made an issue of our independent magazine for our English speaking audience. The magazine consists of articles that are previously published in Norwegian and translated. You can download the magazine here. You can alos subscribe 

The Research Ethics Magazine - 2023

Strong presence at the ENRIO congress

The European Network of Research Integrity Offices, ENRIO, has 31 members across 23 contries and is a key player in advancing the field of research integrity / research ethics (RI/RE) in Europe. Norway was one of the founding members of the network in 2008 and has taken part in the transition of the network into a legal established association. The director of the National Research Ethics Committees (NREC) in Norway is now a member of the ENRIO board.  

Every two years, ENRIO organizes a congress on RI/RE. This year it is co-hosted by the French Office for Research Integrity (Ofis) at Sorbonne University, Paris and NREC Norway will have a strong presence, presenting relevant topics through oral presentations, workshops and posters. For more, see the ENRIO Congress website for full program.