Read Full Report
Date: March 27, 2009
Contacts: Sara Frueh, Media Relations Officer
Edgar Acajabon, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail <news@nas.edu>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Edition of 'On Being a Scientist' Offers Early-Career Researchers
Guidance on Conducting Research Responsibly, Avoiding Misconduct
These and other questions are explored in the third edition of On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, new from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and
"This updated edition of ‘On Being a Scientist’ will be an important catalyst of discussions among students and their professors, academic and industrial scientists and engineers, managers, administrators and policymakers alike," said Carolyn Bertozzi, chair of the committee that wrote the report, professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology, University of California, and director of the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "We hope that this resource will inspire readers to explore the issues in an open forum and influence the conduct of science worldwide in a very positive way."
The report discusses recent real-world instances of misconduct, as well as hypothetical case studies to help scientists think about principles that should guide decision making. For example, one case study explores the situation of a researcher who discovers a coding error in a program used to model the spread of infections in populations -- a model that has informed two of the researchers' published papers. The error doesn't change the average time it takes infections to spread, but it does increase the amount of uncertainty in the model's results. Questions included in the case study explore the obligations the researchers owe their professional colleagues in terms of correcting the published record, and whether there are options beyond publishing a formal correction.
The book's intent is not to state definite conclusions about what should be done in particular situations, said the authoring committee, but rather to explore the reasons for ethical choices and to foster discussion in orientations, graduate seminars, and informal meetings. "[M]any beginning researchers are not learning enough about the standards of science through research experiences," noted the presidents of the three academies in the book's preface.
Among the topics addressed are the responsibilities of advisers and their advisees, appropriate ways to share research results, the treatment of people and animals involved in studies, and mistakes and negligence in research. Also included is an extensive list of books and articles for further reading on responsible conduct in science.
The report was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering,
Copies of On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, Third Edition are available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).
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[ This news release and report are available at http://national-academies.org ]
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division of Policy and Global Affairs
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
Committee on Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research, 3rd Edition
Carolyn R. Bertozzi 1 (chair)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
and Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular and
Cell Biology
Director of the Molecular Foundry
John F. Ahearne 2
Executive Director Emeritus
Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society
Francisco J. Ayala 1
University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology
Andrea L. Bertozzi
Professor and Director
Program in Computational and Applied
Mathematics
David J. Bishop
Chief Technology and Chief Operating Officer
LGS Innovations LLC
Gary L. Comstock
Professor of Philosophy, and
Editor in Chief
OpenSeminar in Research Ethics
Frances A. Houle
Research Staff Member
IBM Corp.
Deborah G. Johnson
Anne Shirley Carter Olsson Professor of
Applied Ethics and Chair of the Department
of Science, Technology, and Society
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Michael C. Loui
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Urbana-Champaign
Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum 2
Department of Bioengineering
Nicholas H. Steneck
Director of the Research Ethics and Integrity Program
Michael J. Zigmond
Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry
RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF
Richard E. Bissell
Study Director
1 Member,
2 Member, National