1. Policy Statement
The Department of Languages, Christ (Deemed to be University) Pune Lavasa Campus is fully committed towards excellence in research through promoting quality processes in the conduct of research activities undertaken by the faculty of the School. The University expects its researchers to abide by the standards of its expectations of good practice in research by taking all responsible steps towards ethical conduct of research in terms of human participation and data management.

2. Objectives
The intermingling of digital humanities and literature helps pave the way for scholarly inquiry and innovative undertakings, leading to novel insights that cut across the boundaries of genre and medium. This new digital literary landscape allows for enhanced learning and teaching experiences for both faculty and students within the university context. In the digital humanities landscape, Research and Development (R&D) aims to explore how technology can aid in pushing the boundaries of humanities research. This pursuit may yield tangible outcomes such as patents, digital publications, copyrights, and more.

Research stands as the bedrock of knowledge, infusing vitality into academic pursuits by fostering cutting-edge facilities, catalyzing the publication of digital research works, cultivating collaborations, and integrating into a dynamic scholarly community. The University is steadfast in ensuring that research endeavors, spanning various disciplines, align with ethical norms and rigorous research standards. Committed to cultivating a robust research ecosystem, the University pledges to provide essential financial and infrastructural support to faculty members and students alike.

Considering the aforementioned principles, this digital humanities and literature research policy has been crafted and implemented to nurture and cultivate a thriving research milieu within the University. This comprehensive policy document encompasses guidelines on Research Promotions, Seed Funding, Ph.D. Regulations, Research Fellowships, Collaborative Initiatives, Patent & Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Innovations and Incubation, Chairs, Special Fellowships, Research at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, and addresses issues of Research Misconduct.

• To create an excellent research ambiance and infrastructure to facilitate inter, multi and transdisciplinary research
• To publish papers in journals of international repute, file patents, and transfer technologies to relevant industries
• To continuously monitor the research outputs for ensuring quality by appropriate committees
• To develop mutually beneficial research and development projects with industrial collaborations.
• To aim to stand among the top-notch Research Universities across the globe to promote the globalization of research to achieve Global visibility

This policy shall apply to all the research and related activities of the department and for the purpose of this policy research and related activities will include:

1. Research activities including basic, strategic and applied research undertaken either for fulfilling the requirements of academic degrees or for solving problems
2. Scholarly activities intended to expand knowledge boundaries by analysis, synthesis and interpretation of ideas and information by making use of rigorous methodologies
3. Knowledge compilation and communication initiatives for keeping abreast of academic developments in any knowledge domain such as writing of textbooks, chapters of textbooks, monographs; developing/updating curriculum, etc.
4. Creative activities involving the generation of new ideas, innovations, hypotheses, images, performances or artifacts, including design in any field of knowledge which leads to the development of new knowledge, understanding or expertise;
5. Research projects of students undertaken as part of the curriculum or for enriching it
6. Publication, presentation and communication of the research outcomes and related activities
    

3. Research Board
There shall be a Research Board consisting of:
Head of The Department 
All Faculty members
Research Scholars (full-time and part time)

4. Incentives And Awards

While researchers enjoy the autonomy to choose their research topics, prioritizing environmentally sustainable and socially relevant areas is strongly encouraged. The University urges its faculties and departments to proactively identify emerging trends that contribute to societal and industrial solutions. To promote excellence in various research domains, the University is committed to recognizing noteworthy contributions from faculty members, research scholars, and students. A well-defined incentive and awards policy has been established to provide appropriate recognition and incentives, reinforcing the institution's dedication to cultivating high-quality research. 

Incentives for Research projects, publications, and research-related activities are as follows:

1. The faculty members (Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator) submitting a research project for extramural funding by government/ other agencies duly approved by the University Research Board, shall be awarded.
2. Faculty members publishing Books/ Chapters in the reputed publishing house in edited volumes will be awarded suitably.
3. Publication of research papers/articles in SCOPUS/ UGC indexed journals, shall be suitably compensated as may be approved by the Research Board.
4. The incentive applies to faculty members who publish while remaining on the rolls of the university in the form of appraisal.
5. In case the publication is in joint names/ authorship the incentive shall be appropriately distributed to the authors of the paper.

5. Ph.D. Program
The University is running Ph.D. Program in various disciplines and has Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) Regulations, 2009 and Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) Regulations 2016 in accordance with the UGC Ph.D. Regulations.

6. Collaborations
Academic Collaborations

1. The University encourages its faculty members to conduct collaborative research with their peers from reputed National and International Universities and Institutions. The University may also sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with prominent Universities and Research Institutions, for conducting joint research in the areas of common interest.
2. Also the University will make continuous efforts for International and National collaborations with prominent Universities in India and abroad for students. These collaborations aim to extend to the students an opportunity to study with the accredited partner universities and gain in-depth exposure to a different study environment.
    

Industrial Collaborations
The University shall keenly work for industrial collaborations for developing their faculties/students to their full potential. The activities undertaken by the university and industry together may include contracts, collaborative research projects, patent licensing, co-development, and co-authorship. 

7. Research Misconduct
Research misconduct is defined as any fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in the reporting results of research. Research misconduct does not include an honest error or difference of opinion, authorship disputes that do not involve plagiarism, and violations of other University policies (e.g., sexual harassment policy). The University believes that the occurrence of misconduct is a threat to the basic principles of research. The University shall put in place a mechanism for taking action on all allegations of misconduct and shall ensure that the procedures for the inquiry, investigation, and adjudication of any misconduct are well defined and just for all parties involved.

8. Outcome

1. It will develop the research skills of the faculty members of the Department and to keep themselves at par with the changes taking place around them.
2. The research policy will motivate the faculties by having a clear picture of the incentives.
3. The research work will contribute to the global, national, regional and local need and pressurize the policy makers to have a policy covering socio-legal aspects.
4. It will enhance the teaching ability of the faculties as first-hand information can be utilized while teaching in the class.

9. Strategic Plans

1. To maintain academic rigor and contribute to the scholarly community, all faculty members in the Department are required to publish a minimum of one original research article per semester.
2. Each faculty member is required to publish an original article on either their specific field of research or the Digital Humanities via social media platforms to disseminate their knowledge and expertise.
3. Recognizing the importance of continuous learning and professional growth, faculty members are expected to participate in at least one Faculty Development Programme (FDP), Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), or any other certification course.
4. Faculty will also be tasked with generating e-content based on their area of expertise. Through this, it will be possible to discover potential collaborators.
5. Students will be required to submit their own research paper at the end of their programme in order to bolster their academic excellence.
6. As part of the Department’s commitment to the field of Digital Humanities, it has plans to involve industry experts, particularly from Pune-based game development studios, to encourage the growth of DH-based literature and research.