Code of Research Ethics – Association Of Korean Language Education Research
Members of the Association Of Korean Language Education Research (hereinafter "members") shall fulfill the moral and social responsibilities expected of researchers in the study and practice of Korean language education, thereby enhancing their pride as scholars and contributing to the advancement of Korean language education research and the growth of Korean language education in Korea.
Purpose and Scope of Application
Article 1 (Purpose) These regulations define the responsibilities that members of the Association must uphold in their research and practice.
Article 2 (Scope of Application) These regulations apply to researchers who submit manuscripts to Korean Language Education Research, the official journal published by the Association, as well as to reviewers who evaluate such manuscripts.
Establishment and Operation of the Ethics Committee
Article 3 (Establishment) The Association shall operate the "Ethics Committee of the Association Of Korean Language Education Research" in relation to the Code of Research Ethics.
Article 4 (Composition) The Ethics Committee shall be composed as follows:
a. Chairperson: 1 member
b. Committee members: Several members
c. Secretary: 1 member
Article 5 (Duties of the Committee) The duties of the Committee are as follows:
1. To investigate whether members have violated research ethics regulations and report the findings to the Board of Directors.
2. To promote awareness and provide education to ensure that members comply with the research ethics regulations.
Article 6 (Meetings) The Committee shall convene meetings as follows:
1. The Committee shall hold at least one meeting during each journal review cycle to monitor compliance with the ethics regulations.
2. When a request is made to convene the Committee regarding a potential ethics violation, the President shall immediately establish and operate the Committee.
Scope of Violations
Article 7 (Research Misconduct) Members shall not engage in fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, improper authorship attribution, or duplicate publication in the proposal, execution, reporting, or presentation of research and development projects.
1. "Fabrication" refers to the act of creating non-existent data or research results.
2. "Falsification" refers to the act of artificially manipulating the research process or arbitrarily altering or deleting data, thereby distorting the research content or results.
3. "Plagiarism" refers to the act of appropriating another person's ideas, research content, or results without proper authorization or citation.
4. "Improper authorship attribution" refers to the act of denying authorship to a researcher who has made a scientific or technical contribution to the research content or results without justifiable reason, or granting authorship to a researcher who has made no such contribution as a gesture of gratitude or courtesy.
5. "Duplicate publication" refers to the act of publishing one's own research results (including works scheduled for publication or currently under review) as if they were new research findings.
6. Other forms of research misconduct shall be determined at the discretion of the Review Committee.
Article 8 (Research Integrity) Members shall not engage in the following morally improper conduct:
1. Intentionally disparaging the research work of others in order to enhance one's own research achievements.
2. Conducting experiments despite reasonably foreseeing that the experiments would cause harm to research participants, including students.
Article 9 (Member Conduct) Members shall maintain their dignity by refraining from the following conduct:
1. Receiving judicial sanctions for violating laws or regulations applicable to the general public.
2. Causing controversy by violating researcher ethics through improper personnel intervention or misappropriation of research funds in connection with a published paper.
Investigation Procedures
Article 10 (Committee Investigation Procedures) The Committee shall follow the procedures below when conducting investigations:
1. The Committee shall convene upon request by two or more committee members or by the President.
2. Upon receipt of a request, the Committee shall immediately determine the investigation procedures.
3. The Committee may, by resolution, exclude any member who may influence the investigation, appoint additional external reviewers, or establish a special investigation committee.
4. The Committee may interview and investigate the researcher in question, the informant, and any related members.
5. The Committee must provide the member under investigation with an opportunity to respond during the investigation process.
6. The Committee shall process matters with a quorum of a majority of members and a majority vote.
7. The Committee shall determine whether a violation of the ethics regulations has occurred.
8. If the Committee determines that the member under investigation has violated the ethics regulations, the Committee shall immediately report the investigation results to the Board of Directors, including the following:
a. The mandate of the investigation
b. The conduct under investigation
c. The list of investigators and investigation procedures
d. The basis for the decision and related evidence
e. The response of the member under investigation and the handling procedures
Article 11 (Board of Directors Investigation Procedures)
1. If the Committee determines that the member under investigation has violated the ethics regulations, the Board of Directors shall review the investigation results and determine the level of disciplinary action.
2. The Board of Directors shall not provide the member under investigation with an additional opportunity to respond.
3. Any director who may influence the investigation may be excluded by resolution of the Board of Directors.
4. If the Board of Directors determines that the Committee's decision lacks rationality, it may request a reinvestigation by the Committee.
Article 12 (Fairness of Judgment) Judgments related to research integrity and member conduct shall be based on the self-regulatory standards of the general public and the academic community, and shall not be determined by undue premises such as public opinion interference.
Article 13 (Protection of Rights of the Member Under Investigation) The Committee and the Board of Directors shall protect the rights of the member under investigation.
1. The identity of the member under investigation and the progress of the investigation shall not be disclosed to external parties until the investigation results are finalized.
2. The honor or rights of the member under investigation shall not be unjustly infringed upon during the investigation process.
3. The identity of external parties involved in the investigation and the progress of proceedings shall not be disclosed externally.
Disciplinary Actions
Article 14 (Disciplinary Actions) The Board of Directors shall resolve disciplinary actions as follows:
1. Expulsion from membership
2. Ex officio retraction of the paper and prohibition of citation
3. Public apology at the Association
4. Suspension of membership privileges
Supplementary Provisions
Article 15 Matters not specified in these regulations shall be governed by the "Guidelines for Research Ethics" under Ministry of Science and Technology Directive No. 236 (enacted February 8, 2007).
Article 16
1. These regulations shall take effect from the date of approval by the Board of Directors.
2. These regulations took effect on October 4, 2013.