SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY

This principle is anchored on the recognition of the worth of a person as a human being, with basic rights to security and freedom from harm in all forms (psychological, physical, social, and economic) due to their involuntary, deceitful or forceful participation in a research undertaking. In accordance to this principle, a researcher is expected to engage in research that would bring societal benefits particularly in uplifting the well-being of the marginalized people but without sacrificing human dignity, safety and the quality of their environment. Thus, the following codes of conduct have to be strictly observed:

1. Researchers must ensure that voluntary informed consent is obtained from all human participants prior to the conduct of research or special safeguards are provided where this is not possible; 
2. Researchers must respect human participants including the community by minimizing or avoiding risks from harm and stress;
3. Researchers must respect the privacy of research participants at all times and all information obtained, analyzed and published must be treated with utmost confidentiality;
4. Upholding the research benefits to humanity that leads to societal development.

Research integrity may be defined as the adherence to ethical principles and professional standards essential to the responsible conduct of research and higher learning. It is a faithful compliance with ethical and legal obligations as required by statutory and regulatory authorities and should be based on consistency, honesty, and truthfulness or accuracy in one’s actions. 

The following general ethical standards and procedures describe various aspects of integrity in research at Silliman University:

1. Researchers strive to be honest, truthful, open, and accurate in their research work;
2. Researchers must avoid incomplete disclosure of information unless complete disclosure is culturally inappropriate, violates confidentiality, or carries the potential to do serious harm to individuals, families, groups, or communities;
3. Researchers must maximize impartiality and minimize biases;
4. Researchers must not exploit persons or peoples for personal, professional, or financial gain;
5. Researchers must avoid conflicts of interest and declare them when they cannot be avoided or are inappropriate to avoid; 
6.  Researchers must ensure that all work is original and that they do not use plagiarized material in any form at any stage of the research cycle;
7. Researchers must faithfully comply with ethical and legal obligations, including seeking ethical review and approval for research as deemed appropriate;
8. Researchers in particular disciplines should comply with any research ethics guidelines set by their professional associations.

Upholding environmental justice in the conduct of our research is dovetailing our institutional mission of instilling an enlightened social awareness and deep sense of justice and compassion in all members of the university community. Environmental justice is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” Our commitment for fair treatment and meaningful involvement for environmental equity are manifested in the following guidelines:

1. Encouraging active participation of stakeholders at every level of decision-making regarding our environment and/or health;
2. Calling for the strict enforcement of existing environmental legislation;
3. Respecting traditional land and natural resources of indigenous communities;
4. Empowering social accountability for environmental equity;
5. Securing the right to a clean and safe environment;
6. Protecting the rights of victims of environmental injustice;
7. Promoting the importance of identifying and addressing environmental equity.

 In the pursuit of new knowledge and theory, the University recognizes the value of working and acting collaboratively in the spirit of inclusiveness and solidarity. This implies multi-disciplinary teamwork . that fosters cooperation among researchers and encourages the open exchange of ideas, methods, data, and analysis. . It allows for further inquiry, examination and thorough review of the subject of study. The following code of conduct should be observed:

1. Researchers must show respect and trust among members of the research organization  − sharing of duties and responsibilities is of utmost significance while observing the organizational structure;
2. Researchers should work towards quality and excellent output; 
3. Researchers should conduct the proper methods in various disciplines and bring these disciplines together for communal enrichment; 
4. Researchers must engage is research projects within the range of their competencies and collaborate with others to complement their skills; 
5. Researchers should be responsible and accountable for the value and worth of their own contribution to the research project;  
6. Researchers should be transparent  and have an open and proper communication with one another; 
7. Researchers should follow and abide by the standards and procedures set by the research organizations, the University, and the code of ethics in research.

As a Christian institution, we affirm our commitment to being stewards of God’s creation (Genesis 1:22; Genesis 2:26). Stewardship is defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”² Our shared commitment on stewardship fortifies our pursuit of total human development for the well-being of society and environment. We are committed to the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through careful and responsible management, conservation and sustainability of our natural resources. In compliance with the Animal Welfare Act or RA 8485/10631 and the DA Administrative Order No. 40 series of 1999, we ensure the protection and welfare of all terrestrial, aquatic and marine vertebrate animals . 

 

Researchers conducting inquiries and investigations that directly or indirectly affect the environment and animals must follow the following protocols:

 

Environment

1. Protect, conserve, and sustainably develop natural resources and the environment for future generations;
2. Be guided by precautionary principles in the conduct of research related to the environment, other species, our health and the community;
3. Facilitate the transfer of knowledge on environmental issues and solutions across disciplines;
4. Foster collaborations and partnerships on environmental protection with other educational institutions, government, non-governmental organizations, and the community as a whole;
5. Uphold the institutional environmental policies and advocacies.

 

Care for the Animals

“God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Silliman University affirms the inherent goodness of all there is. Human and non-human are co-inhabitants of this good created order. No one is less than others. As every creature has marks of God, everything is good. But as stewards of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26), human beings are entrusted with sacred responsibility to care for animals (Deuteronomy 22:10; 25:4). In all human endeavors therefore, care and concern for the well-being of animals is a divine mandate. Thus, all researchers should:

1. Strictly follow institutional protocols, policies and responsibilities regarding the care and use of animals.
2. Protect and promote the welfare of animals by maintaining appropriate standards of feeding, accommodation and general care;
3. Prevent or minimize any unnecessary discomfort or pain to the animals in the conduct of research;
4. Address concerns on animal welfare by methods of reporting and investigation.