Aggregated News
Why do some scientists lie?
While the recent scandal involving the now discredited research of South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk was an extreme example, ethicists say less flagrant questionable behavior in the halls of science often goes undetected or ignored.
"There is a gray zone," said Michelle Mello, a lawyer and ethicist at the Harvard School of Public Health. "There is an uncertainty as to what is acceptable behavior." She suspects the problem begins with a lack of training in ethical research. What's more, the field is designed to reward scientists for novel discoveries, and prestige, funding and promotions fuel the push to publish.
Scientists are also faced with federal research cuts and are turning to drug companies for money to run their studies. This, Mello said, comes with a hefty ethical price. In a study published last May in the New England Journal of Medicine, Mello asked 100 university administrators about the rela- tionship between their scientists and industry sponsors.
Almost 25 percent said they would have no problem allowing a pharmaceutical company's statisticians to analyze study findings. Half...
While the recent scandal involving the now discredited research of South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk was an extreme example, ethicists say less flagrant questionable behavior in the halls of science often goes undetected or ignored.
"There is a gray zone," said Michelle Mello, a lawyer and ethicist at the Harvard School of Public Health. "There is an uncertainty as to what is acceptable behavior." She suspects the problem begins with a lack of training in ethical research. What's more, the field is designed to reward scientists for novel discoveries, and prestige, funding and promotions fuel the push to publish.
Scientists are also faced with federal research cuts and are turning to drug companies for money to run their studies. This, Mello said, comes with a hefty ethical price. In a study published last May in the New England Journal of Medicine, Mello asked 100 university administrators about the rela- tionship between their scientists and industry sponsors.
Almost 25 percent said they would have no problem allowing a pharmaceutical company's statisticians to analyze study findings. Half...