ETHICAL POLICY
This applies to all students, staff, independent members of Council and its Committees and all external parties acting on behalf of GU.
All the above have an individual responsibility (and in the case of external parties often a corporate responsibility) to uphold the following principles, which have been approved by the ORIC:

• Raise concerns relating to ethical matters when they arise.
• Be honest, truthful and act with integrity.
• Declare interests and eliminate possible or perceived conflicts.
• Seek to make decisions transparently, consistently, and fairly.
• Maintain professional standards in engaging with other parties.
• Do not compromise GU values and academic standards when dealing with gifts, donations, grants, contracts, and awards.
• Neither offer, solicit nor accept bribes.
• Adhere to GU research policy of ethics.

The Ethics policy sets out general expectations and guidance on behavior which may be relevant in disciplinary cases. However, any disciplinary action will be taken under the relevant College procedures, policies, or regulations.

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

• Gandhara University collects, holds, and processes personal data to perform its public task as a university, to pursue its legitimate interests and to discharge certain statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
• Gandhara University will record and document the legal basis for its processing of personal data. Such processing must have a legal basis and meet at least one of the following conditions:
• Contract: The processing is necessary for a contract with the individual, or because they have asked us to take specific steps before entering a contract.
• Legal obligation: The processing is necessary for GU to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
• Public task: The processing is necessary for GU to perform a task in the public interest or for its official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
• Legitimate interests: The processing is necessary for GU’s legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests.
• Consent: The individual has given clear consent for City to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
• Vital interests: The processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.
• ORIC will meet the following obligations.
• Putting written contracts in place with organizations that process personal data on its behalf.
• Maintaining documentation of its processing activities.
• Implementing appropriate security measures.
• Recording and, where necessary, reporting personal data breaches.
• Carrying out data protection impact assessments for uses of personal data that are likely to result in high risk to individuals’ interests.
• Adhering to relevant codes of conduct and signing up to certification schemes.
• In processing personal data, GU is committed to respecting the privacy rights of individuals and meeting its obligations as a data controller in accordance with all relevant data protection and privacy legislation to which it is subject.
• When processing any personal data, GU will always observe the following principles: lawfulness & fairness, Purpose limitation, Data minimization, Accuracy, Storage Limitation & Security.

 

POLICY FOR SUBMISSION OF RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

• For the research findings to be published in the scientific journal of well repute, ORIC has devised the following mechanism.
• All faculty members at home and abroad may be directed to show affiliation to Gandhara University in their publications.
• No research publications (Research Paper, Book or Book Chapter, Technical Report Lab. Manual, Monograph, Articles, Abstracts, Proceedings, Paper presented in conferences and oral presentations etc.) would be credited to faculty members unless it is registered at GU ORIC with a specified number.
• The ORIC will scrutinize the research manuscript to verify at least two citations of
• Gandhara University journals, particularly Journal of Gandhara Medical and Dental Sciences (JGMDS).

GUIDELINES ORGANIZE SEMINAR, WORKSHOP, CONFERENCE AND SYMPOSIA

• Different funding agencies provide financial support to conduct seminar / workshops/ symposia/conferences, the request for funding is floated by the faculty member/organizer on the prescribed proforma and after seeking approval from the Vice Chancellor, the case is sent to the funding agency by ORIC.
• After the receipt of funds, the applicants are informed accordingly by ORIC. He or She operates /utilizes funds with the intimation to ORIC and copy of fund utilization report is submitted at ORIC for record and for onward submission to the funding agency. 

RESEARCH INVOLVING ANIMALS’ POLICY.
Gandhara University policy outlines what must be considered before undertaking any research involving animals.

1. The University does not undertake any research on University premises that requires ethical approval.
2. Members of GU do undertake research in collaboration with other institutions. On such occasions the research will be subject to that institution’s ethical procedures.
   Where the University is the sponsor of the research or the Principal Investigator is from the University, must make a judgement of the appropriateness of that institution’s ethical procedures, and approval managed accordingly. Documents showing ethical approval for the research must be submitted to ORIC.
3. Members of the university may be involved in less invasive work on animals on University premises. Such work must be approved by ethical board and comply with the ‘Animal rights.
4. The University performs research that uses animal tissue obtained from animals sacrificed outside the University by recognized institutions such as zoos and other universities.
   If such tissue is from endangered species, from an unlicensed source, contains potentially harmful agents (both biological and chemical), or genetically modified material, it must be considered by ORIC.
5. All research involving animals, whatever its nature, carried out by members of GU must consider the 3R’s.

• Replacement (use of animal cells or if possible non‐animal alternatives)
• Reduction (using fewer animals)
• Refinement (minimize pain and enhance welfare throughout an animal’s life)
  

GENERAL LAB SAFETY PROTOCOL BIO-SAFETY COMMITTEE

• Appropriate hazardous, toxic, inflammable labels etc. must be displayed outside every lab where such materials are placed and/used.
• Make sure all the containers are labeled properly. Check the labels on bottles before removing their contents.

Note: The hazardous chemicals, by definition, involve any substance, which can cause physical or physiological damage to humans or surrounding environment. The lab safety levels, and responsible person's name should be displayed on the opening door of every laboratory. It is the duty of every PI / Faculty member that they must inform the ORIC for their biological safety level. Paste a label on your laboratory door, if you have enforced biological safety levels in lab.

• Locate the inflammables, acids, corrosives and carcinogenic materials at separate places in the lab. All ethanol/methanol or inflammable items are stored in opposite to laminar airflow or gas burner points. Such chemicals, including acids or corrosive materials, are stored in the cabinets close to the ground.
• All the inflammable or highly reactive compounds like methanol or SDS should be opened in fume hood to avoid respiratory tract damage.
• Every student and technician in the lab must get 2 hours, mandatory training arranged by the university.
• Every lab should have a responsible person in addition to the PI for chemicals.
• Develop awareness among researchers in lab meetings about lab safety.
• Cooperate with safety officer and committee to implement the safety measures.
• Every lab should be equipped with safety goggles. All the researchers using UV lights, heating/boiling liquids on hot plates, must use safety goggles.
• Every researcher should use latex gloves to deal with carcinogenic, corrosive, and hazardous microbes.
• All Principal Investigator must purchase autoclavable bags for autoclaving microbes, transgenic animals, and plants, before discarding them in regular trash.
• A worker using the instrument/chemical is responsible for personal safety. Do not touch any equipment or instrument if you are not trained for it. Ask the laboratory supervisor or the Principal investigator (PI) for help.
• Get training for work safety in the lab. If you do not understand a direction or part of a procedure, ask your teacher /safety person before proceeding with the activity.
• No researcher should work alone in the laboratory. Always inform your supervisor after working in the laboratory alone.
• When first entering the lab, never touch any equipment/chemical or instrument with your naked hands. Always seek permission from the supervisor.
• Only perform the experiments authorized by your supervisor. You cannot start work if you are not authorized.
• Do not eat or drink in the laboratory. it is strongly prohibited in every lab.
• Practical jokes and pranks are very dangerous and are strictly prohibited.
• Make sure the lab is well ventilated. Inform security if there is a gas leakage or electricity problems.
• Be alert and work with caution. Inform your teacher if your co-workers are not working safely.
• The freezers storing ethanol/enzymes/hazardous chemicals or microbes cannot be used for food storage. Every microwave and freezer in the laboratory should be labeled with "No food items here".
• Researchers wearing contact lenses must be warned for exposure to UV light or flames due to chemicals burning.
• Keep the work area clear of all materials except those needed for your work. Dress properly during a laboratory activity and wear Lab Coats. Coats should be hung in the hall or placed in a locker. Extra books, purses, etc. should be kept away from equipment that require airflow or ventilation to prevent overheating. Long hair, dangling jewelry, and loose or baggy clothing are a hazard in the laboratory. Long hair must be tied back, and dangling jewelry and baggy clothing must be secured. Shoes must completely cover the foot. No sandals are allowed while working.
• Do not taste or smell any chemical in the lab.
• Drinking water from lab sink is strongly prohibited. Every sink should have the note, "No Drinking Water".
• Never suck the pipette with mouth. Always use proper equipment to suck chemicals.
• Never return the un-used chemical to the original bottle. Transfer it to a new bottle and mention the date of use and removal.
• Carefully examine glassware before each use. Never use chipped, cracked, or dirty glassware.
• Do not immerse hot glassware in cold water. The glassware may shatter.
• Never look into a container that is being heated. The vapors may be dangerous and can damage eyes or skin
• Equipment Failure - If a piece of equipment fails while being used, report it immediately to your lab assistant or tutor. Never try to fix the problem yourself because you could harm yourself and others. For example, always inform your instructor if you break a thermometer. Do not clean mercury yourself
• Avoid using extension cords. If you must use one, obtain a heavy- duty one that is electrically grounded, with its own fuse, and install it safely. Extension cords should not go under doors, across aisles, be hung from the ceiling, or plugged into other extension cords.
• The cylinders containing explosive/inflammable gases must be fixed or encaged properly with certain support, otherwise these may collapse resulting in severe accident.
• The labs must be equipped with smoke detectors to cope with any fire related accident at firsthand.
• Every lab must have more than one entrance/exit to escape any kind of accidental blockage.
• Emergency rescue agencies (1122, fire brigade, Edhi Trust etc.) contact numbers must be pasted/hanged in every lab.
• Make sure that electric power buttons for lights, fans, air conditioners and computers etc. are properly switched off, before leaving the lab to avoid any chance of short-circuiting, due to prevailing electric power fluctuations.
• Do not use cell phones while dealing with inflammable chemicals and Hi-Tech equipment as these may acts as source of ignition and electronic signal interference, respectively.

B- Waste Disposal.

• Every lab should have following waste containers in the lab.; waste bags should be placed in every waste disposal container:
• A small container for sharp objects, like blades, needlestick.
• A big container for broken glasses
• A liquid Ethidium bromide, if being used, waste container
• A liquid toxic waste such as phenol container
• A solid waste container for toxic chemicals (such as phenol), used tips &tubes.
• Every container should be properly labeled
• Do not pour any chemicals into sink.
• Dispose off all the chemicals according to their appropriate waste disposal procedures.
• Always wear gloves when dealing with waste of hazardous chemicals and microorganisms.
• Every researcher should have small trash boxes on his/hertable.
• Do not handle broken glass with your bare hands. Use a brush and dustpan to clean up broken glass. Place broken glass in the designated glass disposalcontainer.
• Clean up spillsimmediately.
• Ethidium bromide is highly carcinogenic chemical and should never be discarded into sink. The powdered form of Ethidium bromide is considered irritant to eyes, upper respiratory tract and skin. The Green Bag Kit containing a "tea bag" should be utilized for its disposal. This tea bag can be left in Ethidium bromide buffer container and after 3-4 days (when tea bag absorbs all the Ethidium bromide) the buffer can be discarded into sink. All sharp blades used for cutting the Ethidium bromide stained gels should be kept separate. Solid Ethidium bromide gels should be dried in a hood. The gels with less than 0.5ug/mL of Ethidium bromide can be discarded into regular trash after drying. The Ethidium bormide area is kept separate from other areas. The pipettes, trays and containers used for Ethidium bromide should not be used for other applications.
• Phenols/ Corrosive Chemicals: Phenol should never be discarded into sink. All phenol tips/liquid/solid should be discarded separately. Phenol is irritant to eyes, skin and mucous membranes. AmberliteTM XAD4TM polymeric adsorbent is used in several locations around the world to remove phenol from wastewater. Even high concentrations of phenol (20,000 ppm) in wastewater have been effectively treated.
• Regeneration of the resin is accomplished in several ways: 1% caustic or solventssuch as acetone, methanol and formaldehyde.
• Wherever possible, use minimum amount of chemicals to avoid a lot of waste production. The chemicals, like silver stain or liquid polyacrylamide gel, should be properly labeled and should not be disposed in regular trash. Solid PAGE gels can be discarded in regular trash. However, other hazardous chemicals should be stored separately, and the university should manage their disposals. If a chemical is inactivated by high temperature, cautions should be taken before autoclaving to avoid volatile compounds production.
• Microbial Safety: All the bacterial/fungal/other microbial cell lines can never be discarded in sink. Add, 5ml of 10% commercial bleach in 100 ml of culture, leave overnight on bench and then discard in sink. For solid microbial waste disposal, first autoclave the tips etc in an autoclavable bag and then discard into regular trash.

C- First Aid in the Lab.

• First aid kit must be made available in every lab.
• Make sure that every student knows about fire extinguishers in the department or if possible, in the laboratory. Every department should have at least 2 fire extinguishers, which are annually monitored for their function.
• If any chemical splashes in your eye(s) or on your skin, immediately flush with running water for at least 20minutes.
• If phenol contacts the skin, workers should immediately wash the affected areas with soap and water. No phenol wastes should be disposed in regular trash.

E- Radiation Safety Protocols

If any researcher wants to use any form of radiations, he/she must contact the ORIC for proper guidelines for its use and waste disposal.

POLICY FOR AVAILING TRAVEL GRANTS

• The requests for travel grants to various funding agencies to present the work in international conferences are processed through ORIC.
• From the ORIC, it is verified that the applicant is not proceeding abroad more than twice a year.
• For oral presentation before submitting the case to the funding agency, the following documents are ensured by ORIC to be attached with the application:
• Acceptance letter by the host institute/organizer for oral presentation
• Full length paper with plagiarism report by ORIC, Gandhara University
• Soft copy of the paper to be presented.
• Sign and stamp from head of the department/institute
• Brief CV of the presenter
• If all the relevant documents are attached according to the funding agency requirements, case is sent to the Vice Chancellor for seeking permission for onward submission.
• After approval from the Vice Chancellor, a letter is sent to the funding agency along with all the relevant documents attached by the applicant.
• The applicant as well as head of the department/institute is also informed accordingly.
• After successful completion of the tour, a task completion report is requested from the recipient for onward submission to the funding agency and for ORIC record.

CLAIMS FOR THE RE-IMBURSEMENT OF EXPENDITURE POLICY.
GU members should always exercise economy and efficiency when incurring expenses which will be claimed from public funds and be aware that information on expense claims can be requested and made public. GU members can claim expenses which are shown to have been “wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred on behalf of GU”.
The rules surrounding these claims are those that apply to GU staff with some appropriate variations.

• Original receipts, invoices or other documentation supporting the claim must be stapled to the back of the claim form – please note that credit card slips, and statements cannot be accepted as receipts.
• The authorized signatory will normally be the College Principal unless there are reasons to refer it to the ORIC for approval.
• The expenses claimed must relate only to the member. The costs of a partner will not normally be reimbursed unless the prior approval of the Principal or Dean is obtained.
• Leadership Foundation events should not be booked directly but through the College Principal or Dean.
• Members are covered by GU. This does not cover their private vehicles.

Public transport should normally be used. Car mileage claims are met if the cost is greater than by public transport only where one of the following reasons applies: the destination was inaccessible by public transport, the journey by public transport was inconvenient, bulky items were carried, the number of people travelling together made it economic, or several visits was made at the same time. A member using a car for a journey which could be reasonably undertaken by public transport is entitled only to reimbursement of second-class fares.

COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER POLICY

Content published on this website is copyright of the authors and may not be republished without permission.

• Copyright

The material on this site is copyright (of the institution, author, photographer, designer, composer, or illustrator) and may not be republished without permission.

• Official information

The logo of Gandhara University (which is registered as a trademark) may only be used on pages that provide official information regarding the institution. The author and head of department will attempt to ensure that official information is accurate.

• Photography and images

All photography and images used on this site may not be downloaded or reproduced under any circumstances.

• Unofficial information

Gandhara University does not monitor personal staff pages, published by staff independently of their work, or student pages. The views and information on such pages do not constitute official university information and need not reflect the views of the institution. All authors, whether publishing official or unofficial information, are expected to follow the University's guidelines, and work within the terms of their Information Services account.

• Trademarks

All trademarks are hereby acknowledged.

 

IT USER REGULATIONS AND POLICY

All users of GU Library, E-Learning and IT facilities are required to agree to various terms and conditions to protect GU and its users from illegal and inappropriate use of library and computer facilities. Please ensure you are familiar with the following summaries.

As a user of any Library, E-Learning, and IT facilities you are required to agree to various terms and conditions relating to your use of these resources at Gandhara University, Peshawar. These terms of use protect GU and its users from illegal and inappropriate use of library and computer facilities. Please ensure you are familiar with the following summaries.

If you have any queries regarding any of these terms of use, please contact your local IT or library site support staff as appropriate. You may also contact the IT Service Desk and send us electronic resource queries via email.

• Use of your IT user account.

A computer account is provided to you as a registered member of GU, Peshawar. You may use your account to access facilities provided by IT Services within the conditions prescribed in the IT Services' Conditions of Use.
You are also bound by the conditions of use posted on individual resources such as Moodle and Law Bore and the license conditions of all databases licensed to GU.
Remember: misuse or abuse of the GU computing facilities could result in the immediate suspension of all your library and computing facilities.

• Rules governing conduct and behavior.

Library Services seeks to provide a safe, secure, and appropriate study environment for the benefit of all service users. The Library Services Code of Conduct details the conduct we expect from those who use our services and facilities.
Copies of the Code are prominently displayed within the key service areas and on the Library Website. You will need to familiarize yourself with the full version of the Code of Conduct.
Remember: failure to observe the rules could result in a suspension of all your Library and IT facilities.

• Copyright requirements

Copyright law applies to all resources made available to users by Information Services and Libraries whether they be printed matter in the library or electronic resources provided via a computer network or the internet. Please familiarize yourself with the essential guidelines to copyright.
If you are in any doubt as to copyright issues concerning either printed or electronic resources, please contact staff at your site library for clarification.
Remember: you have a personal responsibility to comply with the requirements of copyright law; failure to do so could involve both you and GU in legal action.

• Use of electronic resources.

Databases, e-journals, and other electronic resources are provided under license to GU. License conditions restrict use of these services to current, registered students and staff of the institution for the purposes of academic research only. All users must comply with the copyright holder's terms and conditions which vary according to the license.
The terms of individual licenses are available on request from your site library, but most restrictions are highlighted at the point at which you access the resource. Please familiarize yourself with the essential guidelines relating to accessing, downloading, copying, and printing from e-resources.
Detailed information regarding the terms and conditions of each resource are displayed in our library catalogue records wherever possible. If you have any queries regarding the use of these resources or compliance with licenses. please email us for clarification.
Remember: you have a personal responsibility to comply with the requirements of copyright law and database licenses; failure to do so could involve both you and GU in legal action.