Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Transgressions in academic ethics usually indicate insecurities and tensions. The small number of researchers who cross the line cause immeasurable damage to the overall system. India is in a stage of rapid economic growth and social maelstrom; the climate favors therefore, a rapid growth in research. On the flip side, we will also see more cases of ethical misdemeanors and violations, these bringing with them unnecessary, and highly debilitating, publicity in various international forums.
There is a need for us to be able to address ethical issues at the systemic level. Rather than a knee-jerk approach through the formation of committees that deal with each issue on a one-on basis, there is a need to have a proper system in place in each academic institution that will deal with all kinds of ethics-related problems.
Academic systems that are held in high regard by its members will have low tolerances to ethical violations; they will impose draconian punishments because the system has a vested interest in maintaining itself. Conversely, systems such as ours, which are not held in high regard by its members, will have high tolerances accompanied by mild and equivocal punishments. Therefore it is difficult to suddenly demand that we take stringent action against offenders. This will happen naturally only when levels of internal confidence in our system increase. We cannot expect miracles overnight.
Problems in state universities, smaller colleges and in the unorganized sector run deep. Ethical violations are rampant; but even here there is a need for a systemic approach.
There are other concerns that are in the grey area, viz. problems that pass muster legally but are morally wrong. Indians are well known at such times to seek refuge in rules, and to pontificate. How do we handle such matters that test the conscience?
The present situation is volatile and in a state of flux. We need to address several issues simultaneously and in parallel.
1. G. R. Desiraju, Not made in India, Nature India, doi:10.1038/nindia.2008.284; Published online 17 September 2008.
2. G. R. Desiraju, Science in a changing world, Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed., http:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201102495/abstract