Research Ethics for Scientists

C. Neal Stewart, Jr. is Ivan Racheff Chaired Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, USA. He teaches a graduate-level research ethics course that focuses on best practices in research that are portable among different areas of biology, medicine, and agriculture.

• Preface xiAcknowledgments xiiAbout the Companion Website xiiiChapter 1 Research Ethics: The Best Ethical Practices Produce the Best Science 1Judge yourself 6Morality vs. ethics 6Onward and upward 8Inauspicious beginnings 8How science works 10Nothing succeeds like success 13Summary 14Chapter 2 How Honest Is Science? 15Judge yourself 16Sanctionable research misconduct: fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism 16“Scientists behaving badly” 17Do scientists behave worse with experience? 20Judge yourself 20Crime and punishment 21Judge yourself 25Discussion questions 27Summary 28Chapter 3 Research Misconduct: Plagiarize and Perish 29Ideas 31Sentences 32Phrases 32A hoppy example 33What is plagiarism, really? 34Judge yourself 34How many consecutive identical and uncited words constitute plagiarism? 35Self- plagiarism and recycling 36Judge yourself 37Judge yourself 44Tools to discover plagiarism 46iThenticate 46References cited 48Self- plagiarism and ethics revisited 51Judge yourself 51Is plagiarism getting worse? 52The [true] case study: the plagiarizing novelist who also plagiarized her confession to plagiarism and the author of the website “Plagiarism Today” 54Summary 55Chapter 4 Finding the Perfect Mentor 56Caveat 57Choosing a mentor 58Judge yourself 62Choosing a graduate project 69Judge yourself 69Mentors for assistant professors 69How to train your mentor 75Discussion questions 78Discussion questions 80Summary 81Chapter 5 Becoming the Perfect Mentor 82Grants and contracts are a prerequisite to productive science 84Judge yourself 85Publications are the fruit of research 86On a personal level 87Judge yourself 88Common and predictable mistakes scientist make at key stages in their training and careers and how being a good mentor can make improvements 88Discussion questions 104Summary 105Chapter 6 Research Misconduct: Fabricating Data and Falsification 106Why cheat? 107Judge yourself 110The case of Jan Hendrik Schön, “Plastic Fantastic” 110The case of Woo- Suk Hwang: dog cloner, data fabricator 111The case of Diederik Stapel, psychological serial fabricator 113Judge yourself 114Detection of image and data misrepresentation 116Judge yourself 120Lessons learnt 121Summary 121Chapter 7 Research Misconduct: Falsification and Whistleblowing 122Reporting and adjudicating research misconduct 123A “can of worms” indeed: the case of Elizabeth “Betsy” Goodwin 125Judge yourself 128Judge yourself 129Judge yourself 131Judge yourself 137Judge yourself 140Cultivating a culture of openness, integrity, and accountability 140Summary 141Chapter 8 Publication Ethics of Authorship: Who Is an Author on a Scientific Paper and Why 142The importance of the scientific publication 143Predatory publishing 145Judge yourself 146Who should be listed as an author on a scientific paper? 146Judge yourself 150How to avoid authorship quandaries and disputes 151Authorship for works other than research papers 153The difference between authorship on scientific papers and inventorship on patents 154Other thoughts on authorship and publications 155Judge yourself 157Summary 162Chapter 9 Grant Proposals: Ethics and Success Intertwined 163Why funding is crucial 164Judge yourself 168Path to success in funding 168Fair play and collaboration 170Judge yourself 171Judge yourself 173Recordkeeping and fiscal responsibility 173Pushing the limits on proposals 174Summary 179Chapter 10 Peer Review and the Ethics of Privileged Information 180The history of peer review 181The nature of journals and the purpose of peer review 182Open- access journals vs. subscription journals 182Which papers to review? 188Open reviews and discussion 189Judge yourself 190Grant proposals 190Confidentiality and privileged information 191Reviewers 192Judge yourself 192Final thoughts 193Summary 195Chapter 11 Data and Data Management: The Ethics of Data 196Stewardship of data 197Judge yourself 199Judge yourself 204Judge yourself 208The land of in- between: ethics of data presented at professional meetings 208Judge yourself 213Raw data, processed data, and data analysis: ways to go right and wrong 213Summary 213Discussion questions 215Discussion questions 216Chapter 12 Conflicts of Interest 217The dynamic landscape of conflicts of interest 218Potential conflicts of interest for university scientists 219Judge yourself 226Conflicts of interest within labs or universities 226Judge yourself 228Discussion questions 232Discussion questions 237Summary 238Chapter 13 What Kind of Research Science World Do We Want? 239A culture of discipline and an ethic of entrepreneurship 241Judge yourself 243Too much pressure? 243Integrity awareness through ethics education 246Accountability 246Truth will win 247We scientists 248Summary 249References 250Index 256