Research Policies for Graduate Students

Graduate education and research are interrelated enterprises. Many Stanford graduate students are conducting research under the guidance and sponsorship of Stanford faculty members. The Dean of Research has primary responsibility for oversight of the research enterprise. Several policies in that arena are particularly relevant to graduate students. These include:

Academic Authorship—Guidelines related to academic authorship, such as the allocation of responsibility and credit for scholarly publications. For complete text of the guidelines, see Research Policy Handbook memo 2.8, On Academic Authorship, at http://rph.stanford.edu//2-8.

Intellectual Property—Policies on copyrights and patents resulting from University work. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as all faculty, staff, and visitors engaged in research, must sign the Stanford University Patent and Copyright Agreement. For complete text of the currently applicable versions of these policies, see Research Policy Handbook chapter 5, Intellectual Property, at http://rph.stanford.edu/Chpt5.

Openness in Research—Policy on openness in research, such as the principle of freedom of access by all interested persons to the underlying data, processes, and final results of research. Stanford University does not accept funding for research projects that require secrecy. For complete text of the currently applicable version of this policy, see Research Policy Handbook memo 2.6, Openness in Research, at http://rph.stanford.edu/2-6.

Relationships between Students and Outside Organizations—Summary of policies on the establishment of relationships between students and outside entities, such as private companies or nonprofit organizations, as part of or outside the student's academic program at Stanford. This covers open versus proprietary nature of the work, ownership of intellectual property, and possible conflicts of commitment and interest. For complete text of the currently applicable versions of these policies, see Research Policy Handbook memo 2.11, Relationships Between Students (Including Postdoctoral Scholars) and Outside Entities, at http://rph.stanford.edu/2-11.

Research Compliance—Seven administrative panels review and approve research projects to safeguard the rights and welfare of all human research subjects, ensure the humane care and use of laboratory animals, and protect the safety of personnel and the general public in the areas of biosafety and radiological safety. For more information, contact the Research Compliance Office, http://researchcompliance.stanford.edu.

Research Misconduct—Policy on allegations, investigations, and reporting of research misconduct. Each member of the University community has a responsibility to foster an environment which promotes intellectual honesty and integrity, and which does not tolerate misconduct in any aspect of research or scholarly endeavor. For complete text of the currently applicable version of this policy, see Research Policy Handbook memo 2.5, Research Misconduct: Policy on Allegations, Investigations and Reporting, at http://rph.stanford.edu/2-5.

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Research Policies for Graduate Students