This page is intended to give BDRL members an overview of various rules and regulations we have regarding the use of common resources as well as different aspects of social and academic life within the group. Usually, these rules are derived from common sense and generally accepted academic ethics, but it will be beneficial for new members to review them and make sure they are aware of all associated issues.
Honesty, trust, and personal responsibility are fundamental attributes of any academic research group and any violation of associated ethical principles will not be tolerated. The following list should give you a better understanding of associated issues:
Plagiarism: Regardless of how relaxed you may have been about this in the past, you have to be extremely meticulous and careful about this issue in all of your work within BDRL. As such, proper credit must be given to your external sources in the form of citations in your written work and as acknowledgements in presentations. Failure to do so not only has bad consequences for you, but also puts the reputation of our entire group in jeopardy.
Academic Honesty: All BDRL members are expected to be honest first to themselves, then to the group and most importantly to the scientific community about the nature and results of their work. Regardless of how “good” or “bad” those results may be, intentional dishonest representation of academic work is simply not acceptable and may be sufficient to terminate your involvement with the group. Note that being disciplined about such honesty will eventually enable you to advance much further in your work than what is possible with other, dishonest means.
Fairness: Eventually, you will need to evaluate the work of others, either for your own benefit, or as part of a peer-review process. In doing so, you should put your own convinctions and presumptions aside and base your evaluation on the quality of the work itself, not its relation to your own beliefs. There is a very fine line between condemning a body of work because its scientific value is not substantial, and condemning it because it goes against your own beliefs. Make that distinction and be fair to other researchers.
Responsibility: Remember that when you are supported by a Tubitak fellowship, a Tubitak project, or departmental funds, you are effectively being paid to be a student. As a result, your studies and research should be the primary focus of your life. Combined with the fact that the quality of your work will probably have significant impact on the work of others in our group, your awareness of this responsibility is extremely important.
The following resources should help you in this regard:
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Ethics case studies - Review and dicuss these case studies with your colleagues or the lab director
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Keep the lab clean
If you bring food or drinks to the lab for any reason, do not leave anything in the lab overnight.
Clean your desk every evening before you leave the lab.
Be responsible and call the floor attendant immediately if more thorough cleaning is necessary (i.e. spilled coffee, etc.). If it is after hours, clean it yourself as much as you can.
Keep the lab safe
Wear proper protection equipment (i.e. glasses, gloves and coats), particularly when working with mechanical components
Always turn of all electrical equipment before you leave the lab. This is particularly important for soldering irons, heat guns and power supplies.
Wear rubber-sole shoes when working with electrical components, particularly high-current batteries or AC power.
NEVER leave batteries charging overnight, especially if they are Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Polymer
Keep the lab secure
Never leave the door unlocked if you are the last person to leave the lab
Never leave the balcony door open when the lab is empty (especially overnight). Birds or other wildlife are not welcome in the lab.
Lab resources should not be used for anything other than BDRL related research activities, or specific projects approved by the lab director.
Use of the lab by anybody other than BDRL members should be explicitly approved by the lab director. Even then, outside visitors should always be accompanied by at least one BDRL member.
The BDRL common office is for use by BDRL graduate student members. Rules regarding its use are less strict than the lab, but common cleanliness and safety rules still apply. The following rules are emphasized.
Keep the office clean and tidy. Remember that you and other group members will spend a considerable amount of your time there, so make it comfortable.
Be considerate of others in the office. Remember that everybody has different preferences and if you respect the needs of others, they will also respect yours.
Never leave potentially dangerous utilities such as kettles, heaters etc. turned on when leaving the office unattended.
Never leave the door unlocked if you are the last person to leave the office.
Never leave the balcony door open when the office is empty (especially overnight). Birds or other wildlife are not welcome in the office.
Computing resources that belong to the BDRL group are reserved for use with only BDRL research activities. Personal use of these resources is not ethical and should be limited to mandatory tasks such as email and document editing. More importantly, the use of BDRL computing resources for any illegal activity such as filesharing or cyberattacks will be sufficient grounds for immediate dismissal from the group.
Other than these, you should be considerate in your usage of shared computing resources and make sure the needs of all group members can be served. Any conflicts should be brought to the attention of the lab director, who can arbitrate the allocation of computing resources.