One of the stated purposes of the Graduate School is to encourage students and faculty to engage in research for the purpose of creating and expanding knowledge. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Graduate Council establish a code to define ethical relationships among students, faculty, and other researchers as they relate to information and materials resulting from such inquiry. Similar considerations apply in the realm of creative artistry, and all references herein to "research" also pertain to artistry.

The Graduate Council, therefore, establishes the following policies on the rights to the products of research and artistry:

1. The scholarly and professional relationships among students, staff, and faculty shall be characterized by principles of integrity and honesty that reflect credit on themselves, their profession, the Graduate School, and the University.

2. The prevailing professional standards in the several academic disciplines, where such standards have been formalized, generally constitute acceptable principles governing conduct in the dissemination of material resulting from joint research and artistic efforts. However, the absence of such formalized standards does not relieve individuals of the obligation to behave ethically.

3. Unless otherwise specified in policies established by the Graduate Council, or in agreements signed by the parties involved, materials developed exclusively by a student as part of the activities of a course (including thesis or dissertation) are the student's property and their final disposition remains the student's prerogative. Should materials so developed result in publication or other dissemination, the authorship or other credit shall be determined by the student. However, if the course activities were funded by a grant or contract awarded for the work to be performed, then these rights belong to the project director, not the student, in accordance with item 4 below.

4. Unless otherwise specified in policies established by the Graduate Council or stipulated by a grant or contract, data and materials collected or produced by a person while participating in a project funded by a grant or contract shall be the property of, and under the control of, the person(s) officially directing the grant or contract. Should such data or materials result in publication or other dissemination, the authorship or other credit shall be determined by the project director.

5. In cases where a grant or contract is awarded, stipulating that substantial work is to be performed by a specified student, staff member, or faculty member, the parties (project director, student, staff or faculty) may, as permitted by the grant or contract sponsor, sign a statement defining assigning rights in a fashion deviating from the above.

6. Individuals collaborating on research or artistic projects in circumstances not specifically addressed by the above provisions are encouraged to discuss, at an early stage, how decisions will be made concerning the use and dissemination of the work, ownership of data and other products of the work, priority in authorship, and other such issues as applicable; they may wish to formalize their understandings and agreements in writing.

7. A claim that these guidelines have been violated should be pursued, as a case of alleged research misconduct, through the policies and procedures on "Research Integrity at Northern Illinois University," found in the Northern Illinois University Academic Policies and Procedures Manual and available from department offices and the Graduate School.
   
   Approved by Graduate Council, May 6, 1996
   Amended November 4, 1996

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