Unit 5: AI in research and publication ethics, IPR and scholarly publishing - Practice Quiz

GEN532 — Research Methodology 60 Questions
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1 What does the abbreviation IPR stand for?

introduction to intellectual property rights Easy
A. International Patent Registry
B. Individual Publishing Rules
C. Industrial Product Regulations
D. Intellectual Property Rights

2 Intellectual property rights primarily protect creations of the:

introduction to intellectual property rights Easy
A. Machinery
B. Water
C. Mind
D. Land

3 According to the Labour Theory of intellectual property, a person deserves rights over their creation because they:

concept and theories Easy
A. Registered it first
B. Paid a government fee
C. Invested their labour and effort
D. Belong to a wealthy family

4 Which theory justifies IPR on the grounds that it encourages innovation for the benefit of society?

concept and theories Easy
A. Personality theory
B. Utilitarian theory
C. Natural rights theory
D. Labour theory

5 Which of the following is a kind of intellectual property right?

kinds of intellectual property rights Easy
A. Copyright
B. Insurance
C. Mortgage
D. Tenancy

6 A trademark is used to protect a:

kinds of intellectual property rights Easy
A. Industrial process
B. Scientific invention
C. Literary manuscript
D. Brand name, logo, or symbol

7 Which type of IPR protects new inventions for a limited period?

kinds of intellectual property rights Easy
A. Geographical Indication
B. Copyright
C. Trademark
D. Patent

8 In which year was the Indian Patent Act enacted?

Indian patent act 1970 Easy
A. 1990
B. 1970
C. 2005
D. 1947

9 Under the Indian Patent Act 1970, what is the standard term of a patent from the date of filing?

Indian patent act 1970 Easy
A. 50 years
B. 20 years
C. 10 years
D. Lifetime of the inventor

10 Which of the following is generally NOT patentable under the Indian Patent Act 1970?

Indian patent act 1970 Easy
A. An improved device
B. A new machine
C. A novel chemical process
D. A mere discovery of a scientific principle

11 In research, ethics primarily refers to:

ethics Easy
A. Moral principles guiding proper conduct
B. Rules for citing references
C. Methods of statistical analysis
D. Techniques for data collection

12 Which of the following is an ethical issue in research?

ethical issues Easy
A. Reviewing literature
B. Fabrication of data
C. Using citations
D. Formatting references

13 Falsification in research refers to:

ethical issues Easy
A. Publishing in open-access journals
B. Citing too many sources
C. Manipulating or altering research data
D. Collaborating with co-authors

14 The committee that reviews research involving human participants is commonly known as the:

ethical Committees (human and animal) Easy
A. Grants Committee
B. Institutional Review Board (IRB)
C. Editorial Board
D. Finance Committee

15 Which principle is central to research involving human subjects?

ethical Committees (human and animal) Easy
A. Maximum profit
B. Fastest publication
C. Informed consent
D. Largest sample only

16 Listing a person as an author who did not contribute to the research is known as:

ethical issues related to publishing Easy
A. Peer review
B. Corresponding authorship
C. Open access
D. Gift authorship

17 Plagiarism is best defined as:

plagiarism and self-plagiarism Easy
A. Using others' work or ideas without proper acknowledgment
B. Writing an original abstract
C. Peer reviewing a paper
D. Citing sources correctly

18 Self-plagiarism occurs when an author:

plagiarism and self-plagiarism Easy
A. Cites another author
B. Writes a new research paper
C. Reuses their own previously published work without disclosure
D. Acknowledges a funding agency

19 Which of the following is a common consequence of committing plagiarism in academia?

penalties and consequences Easy
A. Increased citations
B. Award of a scholarship
C. Automatic promotion
D. Retraction of the published paper

20 The UGC regulations on plagiarism classify similarity up to 10% into which level?

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Easy
A. Level 1 (moderate)
B. Level 2 (major)
C. Level 3 (severe)
D. Level 0 (minor, no penalty)

21 A startup develops a unique logo, a secret manufacturing formula, and a novel machine. Which combination of IPR protections is most appropriate for these three assets respectively?

introduction to intellectual property rights Medium
A. Trademark, Trade Secret, Patent
B. Patent, Copyright, Trademark
C. Trademark, Patent, Copyright
D. Copyright, Patent, Trade Secret

22 The Labour Theory of intellectual property, associated with John Locke, primarily justifies IPR on the ground that:

concept and theories Medium
A. Society benefits economically from more inventions
B. Ideas are natural extensions of one's personality
C. The state grants monopolies to encourage industrial growth
D. A creator deserves rights because of the mental labour and effort invested

23 Which justification theory of IPR argues that creative works are an extension of the creator's personhood and identity?

concept and theories Medium
A. Personality Theory
B. Reward Theory
C. Labour Theory
D. Utilitarian Theory

24 A company wants to protect the unique aesthetic shape and surface pattern of a new bottle, not its function. Which IPR is most suitable?

kinds of intellectual property rights Medium
A. Copyright
B. Patent
C. Geographical Indication
D. Industrial Design

25 "Darjeeling Tea" and "Basmati Rice" are protected under which category of IPR?

kinds of intellectual property rights Medium
A. Trademarks
B. Trade Secrets
C. Geographical Indications
D. Collective Copyrights

26 Under the Indian Patents Act, 1970 (as amended), the term of a granted patent is:

Indian patent act 1970 Medium
A. 20 years from the date of filing
B. Life of the inventor plus 60 years
C. 14 years from the date of grant
D. 10 years renewable indefinitely

27 A pharmaceutical company files for a patent on a new form of a known drug that shows no enhanced therapeutic efficacy. This is likely rejected under which key section of the Indian Patents Act?

Indian patent act 1970 Medium
A. Section 10
B. Section 3(d)
C. Section 25
D. Section 53

28 Which of the following is considered patentable under the Indian Patents Act, 1970?

Indian patent act 1970 Medium
A. A mathematical method
B. A mere discovery of a scientific principle
C. A novel, non-obvious industrially applicable process
D. A method of medical treatment of humans

29 In research ethics, the principle of beneficence primarily requires researchers to:

ethics Medium
A. Obtain approval from a funding agency
B. Publish findings only in high-impact journals
C. Ensure results are statistically significant
D. Maximize benefits and minimize possible harms to participants

30 A researcher lists a senior colleague as a co-author who made no intellectual contribution, merely to increase acceptance chances. This is an example of:

ethical issues Medium
A. Ghost authorship
B. Gift (honorary) authorship
C. Salami slicing
D. Fabrication

31 Deliberately manipulating research images or altering data points to fit a hypothesis is best classified as:

ethical issues Medium
A. Redundant publication
B. Plagiarism
C. Conflict of interest
D. Falsification

32 In India, research involving animals must be approved by which committee?

ethical Committees (human and animal) Medium
A. IRB (Institutional Review Board)
B. IEC (Institutional Ethics Committee)
C. IBSC (Institutional Biosafety Committee)
D. IAEC (Institutional Animal Ethics Committee)

33 The '3Rs' principle guiding ethical animal research stands for:

ethical Committees (human and animal) Medium
A. Respect, Responsibility, Rigour
B. Review, Report, Refine
C. Reuse, Recycle, Reduce
D. Replacement, Reduction, Refinement

34 Splitting a single coherent study into several smaller papers to inflate publication count is known as:

ethical issues related to publishing Medium
A. Peer-review manipulation
B. Duplicate submission
C. Ghostwriting
D. Salami slicing

35 Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to two different journals violates which publication ethic?

ethical issues related to publishing Medium
A. Confidentiality of peer review
B. Prohibition of simultaneous/duplicate submission
C. Disclosure of conflict of interest
D. Rule of first authorship

36 An author reuses large verbatim portions of their own previously published paper in a new article without citation. This is best described as:

plagiarism and self-plagiarism Medium
A. Gift authorship
B. Fabrication
C. Self-plagiarism
D. Falsification

37 Rewording another author's ideas in your own words but without any citation constitutes:

plagiarism and self-plagiarism Medium
A. Common knowledge use
B. Paraphrasing plagiarism
C. Proper attribution
D. Acceptable summarizing

38 Under the UGC (2018) plagiarism regulations, similarity up to 10% falls under which level?

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Medium
A. Level 0 — minor similarities, no penalty
B. Level 1 — 10% to 40%
C. Level 3 — above 60%
D. Level 2 — 40% to 60%

39 According to UGC regulations, if a student's thesis shows Level 3 plagiarism (above 60%), the typical consequence is:

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Medium
A. Resubmission allowed within one month
B. Only a warning is issued
C. A 5% marks deduction
D. Registration cancelled and no revised submission for that thesis

40 Under UGC rules, a faculty member found guilty of Level 2 plagiarism typically faces:

penalties and consequences Medium
A. Only a written apology
B. Immediate dismissal from service
C. Suspension of salary for five years
D. Denial of a pay increment and being barred from supervising new students for a period

41 A pharmaceutical firm argues that its patent monopoly is justified because it invested labour and capital into isolating a compound from nature. A critic counters that mere effort should not create ownership if the resulting knowledge does not enrich the public. Which pairing of IP justification theories BEST characterizes this dispute?

concept and theories Hard
A. Firm relies on the Personality (Hegelian) theory; critic invokes the Labour theory
B. Firm relies on the Reward theory; critic invokes the Natural Rights theory
C. Firm relies on the Labour (Lockean) theory; critic invokes the Utilitarian/Social-benefit theory
D. Firm relies on the Utilitarian theory; critic invokes the Personality theory

42 An applicant seeks a patent for a new dosage form of a known drug that shows no enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Which provision of the Indian Patents Act, 1970 (as amended) would MOST directly bar this application?

Indian patent act 1970 Hard
A. Section 3(b)
B. Section 25
C. Section 53
D. Section 3(d)

43 A patentee refuses to work an invention in India and prices it beyond public reach three years after grant. Under the Indian Patents Act, 1970, which mechanism allows a third party to obtain rights to manufacture without the patentee's consent?

Indian patent act 1970 Hard
A. Voluntary licensing under Section 68
B. Patent of addition under Section 54
C. Compulsory licensing under Section 84
D. Revocation for non-use under Section 25(2)

44 A company develops a secret manufacturing process, a distinctive logo, a novel machine, and a proprietary user manual. Which mapping of each asset to its MOST appropriate primary IP protection is correct?

kinds of intellectual property rights Hard
A. Process → patent; logo → copyright; machine → trade secret; manual → trademark
B. Process → trademark; logo → trade secret; machine → copyright; manual → patent
C. Process → trade secret; logo → trademark; machine → patent; manual → copyright
D. Process → copyright; logo → patent; machine → trademark; manual → trade secret

45 A researcher reuses substantial verbatim passages from their own previously published paper in a new submission without citation or disclosure. Which statement MOST accurately describes the ethical status of this act?

plagiarism and self-plagiarism Hard
A. It is self-plagiarism (text recycling) and can breach copyright transferred to the earlier publisher
B. It is plagiarism only if the earlier paper had co-authors
C. It is acceptable because authors cannot plagiarize their own words
D. It is duplicate authorship but not an ethical violation

46 Under the UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism) Regulations, 2018, a student's thesis is found to contain 45% similarity (excluding exempted material). Into which level does this fall and what is the prescribed consequence?

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Hard
A. Level 2 (40–60%): registration cancelled immediately
B. Level 1 (10–40%): revised submission within six months
C. Level 2 (40–60%): revised submission after six months
D. Level 3 (>60%): registration cancelled with no resubmission

47 A faculty member is found guilty of Level 3 plagiarism (>60%) for the second time under the UGC 2018 Regulations. Which combination of penalties is prescribed for this repeat offence?

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Hard
A. Suspension for six months with no further action
B. Denial of annual increments and dismissal from service
C. Withdrawal of one increment and a two-year publication ban
D. One-time warning with mandatory counselling

48 Which category of matter is EXPLICITLY excluded from similarity checks under the UGC 2018 anti-plagiarism Regulations?

university grants commission's (UGC) policy for curbing plagiarism Hard
A. References cited by the candidate's own supervisor
B. Any text under 15 consecutive words
C. The abstract and conclusion of the thesis
D. Quoted work with proper attribution and common/standard terms

49 In India, a study involving both human clinical subjects and laboratory rodents requires clearance. Which pairing of oversight bodies is correct for these two components?

ethical Committees (human and animal) Hard
A. IRB for humans; ICMR for animals
B. CPCSEA for humans; IEC for animals
C. DCGI for humans; IAEC for animals
D. IEC for humans; IAEC/CPCSEA for animals

50 A researcher plans to reduce the number of animals per group, replace live animals with cell cultures where possible, and refine procedures to minimize distress. This design directly operationalizes which foundational principle of animal research ethics?

ethical Committees (human and animal) Hard
A. The 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement
B. The Nuremberg conditions
C. The Helsinki safeguards
D. The Belmont principles

51 An author submits the same manuscript to two journals simultaneously to maximize acceptance chances. This practice is BEST classified as which publishing misconduct, and why is it problematic?

ethical issues related to publishing Hard
A. Citation manipulation; it inflates impact metrics
B. Ghost authorship; it hides the true contributor
C. Salami slicing; it fragments one study into many papers
D. Simultaneous/dual submission; it wastes reviewer effort and risks duplicate publication

52 A senior researcher who contributed no intellectual input is added to a paper solely due to seniority, while a junior who did the core work is included. The senior's inclusion exemplifies which authorship problem under ICMJE criteria?

ethical issues related to publishing Hard
A. Ghost authorship, which conceals a real author
B. Gift/honorary authorship, which violates ICMJE contribution requirements
C. Corresponding authorship, which is always improper
D. Guest reviewing, which biases peer review

53 Two labs independently follow the same published protocol on the same dataset but obtain differing results. Using standard terminology, the failure here is BEST described as a lack of:

reproducibility and accountability Hard
A. Reproducibility (same data/methods should yield same results)
B. Generalizability (results should extend to new populations)
C. Replicability (new data should yield consistent results)
D. Robustness (results should hold under varied analyses)

54 A team publishes striking results but withholds raw data and analysis code, citing convenience. Which combination of open-science practices would MOST directly address the resulting accountability gap?

reproducibility and accountability Hard
A. Data and code deposition in a repository with a pre-registered analysis plan
B. Publishing in a higher impact-factor journal
C. Adding a longer discussion section and more citations
D. Increasing the sample size and adding more co-authors

55 A designer's original fabric pattern is copied by a competitor. The designer is unsure whether design registration or copyright applies. Under Indian law, which principle governs the overlap between the Designs Act and the Copyright Act for an industrially applied design?

introduction to intellectual property rights Hard
A. Copyright automatically converts into a registered design after first sale
B. Copyright ceases once the design is applied industrially more than 50 times, if it was registrable as a design but unregistered
C. Design registration is void if any copyright ever subsisted in the work
D. Both protections always coexist indefinitely regardless of registration

56 Darjeeling tea and Basmati rice are protected in India by a form of IP that ties product reputation to a specific place of origin. This right is:

kinds of intellectual property rights Hard
A. A Geographical Indication, which is a collective right held by producers of the region
B. A patent, which expires 20 years from filing
C. A trade secret, which lapses on public disclosure
D. A trademark, which is owned individually by the first registrant

57 A researcher fabricates several data points to strengthen a weak trend, alters an image to remove an inconvenient outlier, and cites unread sources. Which set correctly labels these three acts under the FFP framework and beyond?

ethical issues Hard
A. Falsification, plagiarism, and gift authorship
B. Fabrication, plagiarism, and duplication
C. Falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism
D. Fabrication, falsification, and a questionable research practice (citation misconduct)

58 In human-subjects research, a design withholds a proven effective treatment from a control group when one exists, using a placebo instead. Which core bioethical principle is MOST directly violated, per the Declaration of Helsinki?

ethics Hard
A. Justice (the burden falls on a vulnerable group)
B. Beneficence/non-maleficence (denying established effective care harms participants)
C. Autonomy (participants were not enrolled voluntarily)
D. Confidentiality (participant identities were exposed)

59 A published paper is later found to rest on fabricated data. Which sequence of consequences reflects the standard escalation typically imposed by journals and institutions?

penalties and consequences Hard
A. Automatic patent revocation and loss of copyright only
B. Retraction of the article, institutional inquiry, and possible funding/employment sanctions
C. Mandatory re-review with no retraction if the author apologizes
D. Immediate criminal imprisonment followed by journal apology

60 An inventor publicly demonstrates and discloses an invention at a trade fair before filing any patent application in India. What is the MOST likely consequence for patentability, absent any statutory grace provision being met?

Indian patent act 1970 Hard
A. The invention gains automatic priority from the fair date
B. Patentability is unaffected as long as filing occurs within 20 years
C. The disclosure destroys novelty, rendering the invention unpatentable
D. Novelty is preserved because trade-fair displays are always exempt