Question : CSIR Assistance to Publish Findings in International Journals

(a) whether the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) provides assistance to scientists working in its institutions to publish their findings in reputed International Science Journals;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of papers published during the last three years and the current year;
(c) the quantum of financial assistance provided to scientists for this purpose;
(d) whether Government has found that some papers have fake data in the manuscript presented by scientists;
(e) if so, whether the Government/ CSIR has conducted any investigation in the matter along with the action taken against the erring scientists;
(f) whether the Government has constituted any authority to examine the authenticity of the data in research paper in random manner and if so, the details thereof; and
(g) the other steps taken by the Government for preventing the recurrence of such instances?

MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES

(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a), (b) & (c) Madam, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) encourages scientists working in its laboratories/ institutions to carry our Research & Development in identified areas and publish their research findings in scholarly journals. CSIR provides infrastructural, technical, administrative as well as financial support to carry out the research and publish the original research work.




The number of publications by CSIR laboratories over the years 2014 to 2017 is as follows:

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017
Papers Published in national & international journals 5824 5776 5549 5350

(d) CSIR is in cognizance of a couple of instances of malpractices related to research publications at its laboratories.

(e) The concerned CSIR laboratories, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh and CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad have conducted detailed investigations in the aforementioned matters. The services of the concerned scientists in these laboratories have been terminated.

(f) CSIR laboratories have institutional mechanisms in place to enable strong and open scientific culture to pursue R&D and adopt check for plagiarism in publications using available software e.g. CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh has constituted an Ombudsman Authority to randomly check the authenticity of the data in research papers before they are published by its scientists.

(g) CSIR has formed a Committee of its three senior Directors to look into ethical issues on scientific culture in CSIR and present a course of action to prevent such incidences in future.

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