Involvement of the University Ethics Commissions regarding the existence of plagiarism from different perspectives: MEC Order no. 5229/2020 and ME Order no. 5255/2021
"Ethics and Deontology" Journal,
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2022): "Ethics and Deontology" Journal
Abstract
The preoccupation of the Romanian Ministry of Education regarding ethics and integrity in higher education began with the highest level of studies, the doctoral studies. In time, the standards and implementation of anti-plagiarism mechanisms were also adapted to the master's and bachelor's works, in parallel with their introduction as a compulsory discipline in the university curriculum as „Ethics and Integrity”. The first measures were adopted in 2016 were to verify and sanction plagiarism in Doctoral Theses on the occasion of their completion and public defense. In 2021, based on the rules established in 2016, the central authorities retroactively extend this rule for all doctoral theses defended since 1990, through the mechanism of identification and verification of similarities between theses. At the same time there was the development of the platform with public access to all doctoral theses, a platform supported by the Portal Integrated Educational Register (https://rei.gov.ro), motivated by the need to increase transparency in the field of academic integrity. These administrative measures, although being applied retroactively and anachronic to the previous procedures, try to bring equity in the verification of doctoral theses from the perspective of similarities.
Keywords
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- ASE, (2020). Academia de Studii Economice, București, Code of Ethics of ASE Bucharest – Chapter XV of the ASE Charter, accessed link https://etica.ase.ro/codul-de-etica-al-ase/
- Bechir, M. (2016) – România doctoratelor: Sinistrul avânt și spectaculoasa cădere a unei industrii business to business între politicieni și universități, accessible at: https://cursdeguvernare.Ro /exlusivitate-romania-doctoratelor-spectaculosul-avant-si-brusca-decadere-a-unei-industrii-business-to-business-intre-pliticieni-si-universitati.html
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- Decision, (2016). Hotărâre nr. 134 din 2 martie 2016 pentru modificarea și completarea Codului studiilor universitare de doctorat, aprobat prin Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 681/2011, published in the Official Gazette no. 182 of 10.03.2016, accessed link: https://legislatie. just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocumentAfis/176458
- ICF, (2021). Institutului de Chimie Fizică Ilie Murgulescu al Academiei Române, Codul de conduită de etică și deontologie profesională al Institutului de Chimie Fizică Ilie Murgulescu (Code of Conduct for Ethics and Professional Deontology of the Institute of Physical Chemistry Ilie Murgulescu, Romanian Academy, Bucharest), accessed at: https://www.icf.ro/Institut/legislatie/Codul%20de%20etica%20si%20integritate%20al%20personalului%20din%20ICF.pdf
- INCDSB, (2021). Institutul național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Științe Biologice, Codul de etică (National Institute of Research and Development for Biology Sciences, Code of Ethics) accessed link https://www.incdsb.ro/wp-content/uploads/Cod_de_etica_ INCDSB_2021.pdf
- INCDMTM, (2009). Institutul Național de Cercetare Dezvoltare pentru Mecatronică și Tehnica Măsurării, Codul de conduită etică și deontologie profesională (National Institute of Research and Development for Mechatronics and Measurement Technique, Code of Conduct for Ethics and Professional Deontology), accessed at: https://incdmtm.ro/COD_CONDUITA_ETICA.pdf Law, (2004). Law no.206 of May 27, 2004 on good conduct in scientific research, technological development and innovation, published in the Official Gazette no.505/04.06.2004 with subsequent amendments.
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- Ordinance, (2020). Government Emergency Ordinance no. 212 of December 28, 2020 on the establishment of measures at the level of the central public administration and for the amendment and completion of certain normative acts, published in the Official Gazette no.1307 of 29.12.2020.
- MEN, (2018). Ministerul Educației naționale, Raport privind starea învățământului superior din România 2017 - 2018 (Report on the state of higher education in Romania 2017-2018), accessed at: https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/Raport%20privind%20starea %20%C3%AEnv%C4%83%C8%9B%C4%83m%C3%A2ntului%20superior%20din%20Rom%C3%A2nia_%202017%20-2018.pdf Salca Rotaru C.M., Manea L. (2021). De lege ferenda cu privire la reglementările cu impact asupra activității comisiilor de etică universitară. Revista Etică și Deontologie. 1(1), 32-43. https://doi.org/10.52744/RED.2021.01.05
- UBB, (2013). Babeș-Bolyai University, Code of Ethics and Deontology of Babeș-Bolyai University, accessed https://www.ubbcluj.ro/ro/despre/organizare/files/etica/Codul_Etic_al_UBB.pdf
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References
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ASE, (2020). Academia de Studii Economice, București, Code of Ethics of ASE Bucharest – Chapter XV of the ASE Charter, accessed link https://etica.ase.ro/codul-de-etica-al-ase/
Bechir, M. (2016) – România doctoratelor: Sinistrul avânt și spectaculoasa cădere a unei industrii business to business între politicieni și universități, accessible at: https://cursdeguvernare.Ro /exlusivitate-romania-doctoratelor-spectaculosul-avant-si-brusca-decadere-a-unei-industrii-business-to-business-intre-pliticieni-si-universitati.html
CNECSDTI, (2020). CNESDTI, Ghid de integritate în cercetarea științifică (Integrity Guide in Scientific Research), accessed at: https://www.research.gov.ro/uploads/sistemul-de-cercetare/organisme-consultative/cnecsdti/2020/ghid-integritate-in-cercetarea-stiintifica-cne-2021.pdf
Decision, (2016). Hotărâre nr. 134 din 2 martie 2016 pentru modificarea și completarea Codului studiilor universitare de doctorat, aprobat prin Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 681/2011, published in the Official Gazette no. 182 of 10.03.2016, accessed link: https://legislatie. just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocumentAfis/176458
ICF, (2021). Institutului de Chimie Fizică Ilie Murgulescu al Academiei Române, Codul de conduită de etică și deontologie profesională al Institutului de Chimie Fizică Ilie Murgulescu (Code of Conduct for Ethics and Professional Deontology of the Institute of Physical Chemistry Ilie Murgulescu, Romanian Academy, Bucharest), accessed at: https://www.icf.ro/Institut/legislatie/Codul%20de%20etica%20si%20integritate%20al%20personalului%20din%20ICF.pdf
INCDSB, (2021). Institutul național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Științe Biologice, Codul de etică (National Institute of Research and Development for Biology Sciences, Code of Ethics) accessed link https://www.incdsb.ro/wp-content/uploads/Cod_de_etica_ INCDSB_2021.pdf
INCDMTM, (2009). Institutul Național de Cercetare Dezvoltare pentru Mecatronică și Tehnica Măsurării, Codul de conduită etică și deontologie profesională (National Institute of Research and Development for Mechatronics and Measurement Technique, Code of Conduct for Ethics and Professional Deontology), accessed at: https://incdmtm.ro/COD_CONDUITA_ETICA.pdf Law, (2004). Law no.206 of May 27, 2004 on good conduct in scientific research, technological development and innovation, published in the Official Gazette no.505/04.06.2004 with subsequent amendments.
Law. (2011). Law no.1/2011 of national education, published in the Official Gazette no. 18/10.01.2011, accessible to: https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/125150 Order, (2020). Order no.5229 of August 17, 2020 for the approval of the methodologies regarding the granting of the certificate of empowerment, the awarding of the PhD title, as well as the settlement of complaints regarding the non-observance of quality standards or professional ethics, including on the existence of plagiarism, within a doctoral thesis, published in the Official Gazette no.783 of 27.08.2020. Order, (2021). Order no. 5255 of 10 September 2021 of the Ministry of Education on the verification of compliance with university ethics and deontology in the elaboration of doctoral theses from 1990-2016, published in the Official Gazette no.888 of 16.09.2021.
Ordinance, (2020). Government Emergency Ordinance no. 212 of December 28, 2020 on the establishment of measures at the level of the central public administration and for the amendment and completion of certain normative acts, published in the Official Gazette no.1307 of 29.12.2020.
MEN, (2018). Ministerul Educației naționale, Raport privind starea învățământului superior din România 2017 - 2018 (Report on the state of higher education in Romania 2017-2018), accessed at: https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/Raport%20privind%20starea %20%C3%AEnv%C4%83%C8%9B%C4%83m%C3%A2ntului%20superior%20din%20Rom%C3%A2nia_%202017%20-2018.pdf Salca Rotaru C.M., Manea L. (2021). De lege ferenda cu privire la reglementările cu impact asupra activității comisiilor de etică universitară. Revista Etică și Deontologie. 1(1), 32-43. https://doi.org/10.52744/RED.2021.01.05
UBB, (2013). Babeș-Bolyai University, Code of Ethics and Deontology of Babeș-Bolyai University, accessed https://www.ubbcluj.ro/ro/despre/organizare/files/etica/Codul_Etic_al_UBB.pdf
UNIVBUC, (2020). University of Bucharest, Code of Ethics and Deontology of the University of Bucharest, accessible to: https://unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CODUL-DE-ETICA-SI-DEONTOLOGIE-AL-UNIVERSITATII-DIN-BUCURESTI-2020-1.pdf