Draft Nlc Research Framework
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NATIONAL LAND COMMISSION LAND ENVIRONMENT AND RESEARCH COMMITTEE COMMISSION PAPER 6 NATIONAL LAND COMMISSION RESEARCH FRAMEWORK. July 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ..................................................................................... 3 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Preamble .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Vision ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Mission............................................................................................................................ 1 1.4 Research Philosophy ...................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Scope of the Framework ..................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Purpose of Research Framework ................................................................................ 4 1.7 Objectives of the Research Framework ....................................................................... 4 1.8 Organogram of the Commission ................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER TWO: THEMATIC AREAS FOR RESEARCH...................................................... 7 2.1 Lan Governance, Land Use and Land Management ................................................ 7 2.2 Land Rights and Security of Tenure ............................................................................ 8 2.3 Emerging Global and Strategic Land Issues .............................................................. 8 2.4 Historical Land Injustices and Legal Research .......................................................... 8 2.5 Sustainable Conservation of Land Based Natural Resources .................................. 9 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH APPROACH ...................................................................... 10 3.1 Research by Commission staff ................................................................................... 10 3.2 Partnerships .................................................................................................................. 10 3.3 Tapping into National Research Fund (NRF) .......................................................... 10 3.4 Collaboration with Universities ................................................................................. 11 3.5 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ................................................................. 11 3.6 Trans-disciplinary research approach ....................................................................... 11 3.7 Research Consultancy ................................................................................................ 12 3.8 Development of Policy recommendations and advisories .................................... 12 3.9 Terms of Research Contract ............................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION .................... 14 4.1 Research Funding .............................................................................................................. 14 4.2 Access of research funds ............................................................................................. 15 i 4.3 Administration of Research Grant............................................................................ 15 4.4 Research Committee ................................................................................................... 16 4.5 Non- National Land Commission research appointments ................................... 16 4.6 Research review processes ......................................................................................... 17 4.7 Termination of a Research Project ............................................................................ 17 4.8 Research Integrity ....................................................................................................... 17 4.9 Capacity Building ............................................................................................................. 18 CHAPTER FIVE: DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ..................................... 19 5.1 Dissemination of research findings ................................................................................ 19 5.2 Policy recommendations .................................................................................................. 19 5.3 Knowledge Management and Resource Centre ........................................................... 19 5.4 Copyright ...................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER SIX: Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................................... 20 6.1 Research monitoring and evaluation ........................................................................ 20 6.2 Review of NLC Research Framework ....................................................................... 20 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 20 ii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CEO Chief Executive Officer PA Partnership Agreement MOU Memorandum of Understanding MOA Memorandum of Agreement M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NRF National Research Fund NLC National Land Commission LPRC Land Framework Research Centre iii DEFINITIONS Allegation: Any statement, written or spoken, or any other indication of possible research misconduct made to an official of the Commission. Investigator: A researcher who carries out academic or scientific research. Investigation: The process of gathering information and carrying out initial fact- finding in order to determine whether an allegation – or any apparent instance of research misconduct – has substance and thus warrants instigation of an investigation. Enquiry: The formal creation and development of a factual record around an allegation or incident of research misconduct, followed by the examination of that record. The examination of such a record leads to a finding that research misconduct has or has not taken place – or to other appropriate remedies, including administrative actions. Research misconduct: Research misconduct consists of any unethical action in respect of research and research subjects. It may include, but is not limited to - fabrication1 or falsification2 of data as well as plagiarism3 in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in reporting research results. A finding of research misconduct requires proof that: Accepted practices of the relevant community have been departed from in a significant manner; That the research misconduct be committed intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly; and That the allegation be proven by a preponderance of evidence. The definition of research misconduct does not include honest errors or honest differences in interpretations or individual judgments of data. Respondent: The person against whom an allegation of research misconduct is leveled at or the person whose actions are the subject of an enquiry or investigation. Any enquiry or investigation may have one or more respondents. Research: Research is understood as original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding. It includes work of direct relevance to the needs of land, industry, and the public and voluntary sectors; scholarship; the invention and generation of ideas, where these lead to new or substantially improved insights; and the use of existing knowledge in experimental development to produce new or substantially improved processes. It also includes the development of teaching materials that may not embody original research. Research Data: This is not easy to define in a comprehensive way it is therefore important for each researcher to consider this in detail in the context of their own project. To give a broad view the Commission uses the following definition: “Research Data are facts, observations or experiences on which an argument, theory or 1 Fabrication: the making up of data or results and recording or reporting them (Oxford dictionary). 2 Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record (Oxford dictionary). 3 Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate (Oxford dictionary). iv test is based. Data may be numerical, descriptive or visual. Data may be raw or analyzed, experimental or observational. Data includes: field notebooks; primary research data (including research data in hardcopy or in computer readable form); questionnaires; audiotapes; videotapes; models; photographs; films; test responses. Provenance information about the data might also be included: the how, when, where it was collected and with what (for example, instrument). The software code used to generate, annotate or analyze the data may also be included”. Researcher: In this context a researcher is