Course Description
Lectures, discussions and analysis and presentation of case studies in the areas of scientific ethics and communication with the media. Topics in scientific ethics include misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, authorship, intellectual property rights, and academic codes of ethics.
Meetings from 5:00 to 6:30 PM on 20-22 & 27-29 October 2008, in BSP 131.
Discussions led by Dr. Gene E. Likens, Distinguished Research Professor
Course Outline
20 October 2008: Introduction and Organization to Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science
Misconduct and fraud
Falsification of evidence; deletion of “outliers”
Plagiarism
Failures of Quality Assurance/Quality Control and methods of validation
Choosing inappropriate methods through ignorance or financial pressure
21 October 2008: Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science
Peer review; challenges for referees
Power and personal relationships
Authorship and credit: assigning and responsibility at the beginning
Accountability
22 October 2008: Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science
Pressure from funders to provide particular answers
Censorship, a growing problem?
Challenges of “advocacy science” – how to respond?
Resisting pressures and still be successful
Conflict of interest / Codes of Ethics at universities and professional societies
27 October 2008: What is Scientific Ethical Behavior?
Intellectual Property Rights?
Federal Policies
Respect for ideas in collaborative research
Attribution of ideas
“Copycat” research proposals
Relationship between a graduate student and a faculty advisor
Access to data
28 October 2008: Communication of Scientific Information
Communicating with the public
Dealing with the media
Responsibilities to science and to the environment; dealing with conflicts
“Least publishable unit”
29 October 2008: Ethics and Communication of Scientific Information
“Covering the Environment”
Aldo Leopold – A Land Ethic
See last year's outline here
Reading list
Alberts, B. and K. Shine. 1994. Scientists and the integrity of research. Science 266:1660-1661. link
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. 1995. On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Second Edition. www.nap.edu
Couzin, J. Truth and Consequences. 2006. Science 313: 1222-1226.
Davis, G. 2005. Doctors without orders. [Highlights of the Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey]. Special Supplement to American Scientist (May-June), pp. 1-13. http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org
Eco-Ethics International Union. http://www.int-res.com [EEIU]
Elliott, Deni and Judy E. Stern (editors). 1997. Research Ethics: A Reader. University Press of New England.
Environment Institute of Australia. 1998. The Ethics of Environmental Research. Proceedings of 1997 Fenner Conference on Environmental Research Ethics. Australian Journal of Environmental Management. Vol. 5, 84 pp.
Fairchild, A. and R. Bayer. 2004. Ethics and the Conduct of Public Health Surveillance. Science 303:631-632. link
Galindo-Leal, C. 1996. Explicit authorship. Bull. Ecol. Amer., October, pp. 219-220.
Gladwell, M. 2004. Something borrowed. (Should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life?) The New Yorker, November 22, 2004, pp. 40-48.
Horn, K. 2001. The consequences of citing hedged statements in scientific research articles. BioScience 51(12):1086-1093. link
Institute of Medicine, National Research Council of the National Academies. 2002. Integrity in Scientific Research. Creating an Environment That Promotes Responsible Conduct.
Interlandi, J. 2006. An Unwelcome Discovery. The New York Times 10/25/2006 link
Kaiser, J. 2000. Ecologists on a mission to save the world. Science 287:1188-1192. link
Kempner, J., C. S. Perlis and J. F. Merz. 2005. Forbidden knowledge. Science 307:854. link
Kitcher, P. 2004. Responsible biology. BioScience 54(4):331-336. link
Lawrence, P. A. 2003. The politics of publication. Nature 422:259-261.
Lawrence, P. (2007) The mismeasurement of science. Current Biology, Volume 17, Issue 15, Pages R583-R585 link
Leopold, Aldo. 1966. pp. 237-264. The Land Ethic, In: A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Likens, G. E. 1992. The Ecosystem Approach: Its Use and Abuse. Excellence in Ecology, Vol. 3. Ecology Institute, Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany. 167 pp.
Macrina, F. L. 2005. Scientific Integrity. 3rd Edition. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 402 pp.
Martinson, B. C., M. S. Anderson and R. de Vries. 2005. Scientists behaving badly. Nature 435:737-738. link
Matisoff, G. 2001. Is it publishable? J. Great Lakes Res. 27(1):1-2.
Medawar, P. B. 1979. Advice to a Young Scientist. Basic Books, A Division of Harpur Collins Publisher.
Minteer, B. A. and J. P. Collins. 2005. Why we need an “ecological ethics.” Front. Ecol. Environ. 3(6):332-337. link
Mooney, C. 2005. The Republican War on Science. Basic Books, Cambridge, MA. 342 pp.
National Academy of Sciences. 1997. Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend. [On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering]. National Academy Press.
National Science and Technology Council. 2000. Federal Policy on Research Misconduct. [1]
Resnik, D. B. 1998. The Ethics of Science. An Introduction. Routledge, London. 221 pp.
Schatz, G. 2006. Jeff’s View on Science and Scientists. Elsevier, London. 192 pp.
Shatz, D. 2004. Peer Review. A critical inquiry. Rowman and Littlefield Publ. Inc. NY. 247 pp.
Shea, W. R. and B. Sitter (eds.). 1989. Scientists and Their Responsibility. Watson Publishing International. Canton, MA.
Smith, M. F., V. T. Eviner, K. C. Weathers, M. Uriarte, H. A. Ewing, J. M. Jeschke, P. Groffman and C. G. Jones. 2005. Creating individual awareness about responsible conduct in research: A case study of one institution’s approach for researchers and administrators. J. Res. Admin. 36(1):21-25. link
Steneck, Nicholas H. 2003. ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research. (Office of Research Integrity)
Trevors, J. T. and M. H. Saier, Jr. 2008. Corruption and fraud in science. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 189:1-3.
University of Zurich. 2001. Mission statement. Authorised by the Extended Executive Board of the University of Zurich on 16th January 2001. (Includes brief statement on ethical responsibility). Accessed 22 October 2008. [2]
Warner, J. S., G. M. Lovett and J. Cadwallader. 1991. Scientists and journalists: A primer for scientists who talk to reporters. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Amer. 72(2):116-118.
Young, J. R. 2001. The cat-and-mouse game of plagiarism detection. Chronicle of Higher Education, July 6, 2001. A16. link
|