The Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) formally established its standardized procedural framework for student research through the Conduct of Student Research Procedural Manual (CCDC-RES-PM-02). This roadmap ensures that all student scholarly research aligns closely with the Institutional Research Agenda (IRA) and Departmental Research Agenda (DRA) while upholding the foundational principles of academic freedom as embodied in the school’s academic Freedom Policy.
The Academic Freedom Policy is built upon seven core commitments: freedom in teaching and learning, which supports faculty in discussing academic subjects and encouraging critical inquiry; freedom of research and inquiry, which empowers researchers and students to explore diverse perspectives ethically; and freedom of publication and dissemination, which protects the right to share scholarly findings under established intellectual property and institutional guidelines. Additionally, the policy promotes respect for diverse perspectives through open and respectful academic debate; mandates research integrity and ethics to ensure honesty, source acknowledgment, and participant protection; provides established due-process mechanisms for the protection of academic rights and dispute resolution; and enforces academic responsibility and accountability to ensure that the exercise of academic freedom respects the rights, safety, and dignity of all stakeholders.
To operationalize these academic freedom commitments while ensuring institutional quality control and adherence to standards, the institution enforces the standardized procedural steps outlined in the Conduct of Student Research Procedural Manual (CCDC-RES-PM-02).
- Agenda Alignment and Topic Approval: Students conceptualize research topics aligned with the IRA and DRA and are given the freedom to select their research advisers, editors, and data analysts from approved institutional pools. Their proposed topics undergo consultative review and approval by the Research Management Committee (RMC) to ensure alignment.
- Editorial and Plagiarism Control: Prior to defense or final endorsement, student manuscripts are subjected to rigorous screening, including originality and similarity checks utilizing institutional anti-plagiarism software (Turnitin).
- Defense and Expert Panel Evaluation: Research proposals and completed studies undergo review by designated defense panels, complete with documented evaluation forms, grading sheets, and mandatory matrices for panel recommendations and manuscript revisions.
- Mandatory Research Ethics Clearance: Students involving human subjects or sensitive data must secure formal clearance from the Research Ethics Committee (REC) prior to implementation.
This procedural framework faithfully reflects and protects the principles of academic freedom embodied in the Academic Freedom Policy, fostering autonomous intellectual inquiry while remaining ethical, rigorous, and directly responsive to development and societal needs.
