POLICY STATEMENT

1    Intent

To affirm the rights of staff to engage freely in the preservation, creation, synthesis and publication of knowledge, and to affirm the standards in which this activity takes place.

2    Scope

This policy applies to all staff, graduate research students and honours students.

3    Objective(s)

• To highlight the rights of staff and students engaged in research to publish their findings and to engage in public debate.
• To highlight the responsibilities of staff and students engaged in research to meet the highest standards of academic rigour.

4    Definitions and Acronyms

5    Policy Owner

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)

6    Policy Provisions

6.1 The University of Tasmania takes seriously its responsibilities for the preservation, creation, synthesis and publication of knowledge. It is committed to rational, open, critical inquiry and to the discovery and dissemination of truth, without fear or favour.

6.2 Recognising that this commitment transcends any short-term exigencies of public opinion or public policy, the University asserts on half of its staff and students the autonomy necessary to publish controversial material and to advance and defend unpopular critiques of contemporary society.

6.3 The University also recognises that this fundamental commitment to truth, knowledge and critical inquiry carries with it an obligation to be responsible and accountable. It respects community expectations that material published by or in association with any good university will meet high standards of professional validation, and seeks to ensure that its staff and students adhere to the most rigorous criteria of methodological integrity and data verification. In doing so, it is committed to the validation of research findings by peer review prior to publication.

Once satisfied that proper scholarly standards have been met, the University is committed to supporting the right and indeed the need for research results to be presented in the public domain, provided only that:

6.3.1 the publication of such results has not been restricted in advance under the terms of a research or consultancy contract; and
6.3.2 where the accuracy or validity of any piece of scholarly work has been challenged, properly corroborated professional judgement has been sought to confirm that the requirements of 6.3 have been met.

6.4 University Affiliation: Staff members should carefully consider when and where to use their UTAS affiliation in public debate. When staff members speak within the broad framework of the expertise which led to their employment, or which they have subsequently developed through research and scholarly activities as UTAS staff members, they are entitled to use their UTAS affiliation as evidence of their expertise on the issues.

Subject to the provisos in 6.3 and 6.4, the University will provide all appropriate legal advice and support to facilitate the publication of contested research findings.

7  Supporting/Related Documents

• Code for Responsible Conduct in Research (ARC/NHMRC)
• Code of Conduct in Supervision

8    Key Words

• Freedom of Inquiry
• Responsibility to Publish
• University Affiliation
• Preservation, creation, synthesis and publication of knowledge
• Controversial material
• Truth, knowledge and critical inquiry

9 Supporting Procedures / Guidelines

• RESPR 3.1 Freedom of Inquiry and Responsibility to Publish Procedure

RESPONSIBILITIES

WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THIS POLICY?

• All staff and students
• All Faculty Deans, School Heads, Centre and Institute Directors/Chief Executives
• Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Office of Research Services
• Director, Office of Research Services

EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS POLICY

• Staff who publish research findings and/or engage in public debate and/or provide public commentary do so within the parameters of this policy.

POLICY HISTORY