Presentation1 Research Ethics.ppppppptttt

Research ethics

1. Research ethics Professional responsibilities of biologist based on readings SHUMAILA BATOOL PHD SCHOLAR(MMG ROLL NO 3) THE WOMEN UNIVERSITY MULTAN

2. COTENTS Obligations of scientist What is professional ethics? Professional ethics for research Biologists: Initial ideas for research Gathering Data Interpretation of Results Publication Evaluation of research and dealing with peers Other issues

3. Scientist obligations that motivate their adherence to professional standards Researchers have three sets of obligations that motivate their adherence to professional standards: First, researchers have an obligation to honor the trust that their colleagues place in them Second, researchers have an obligation to themselves Researchers have an obligation to act in ways that serve the public

4. What is professional ethics? According to a committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , "Professional ethics refers to those principles that are intended to define the rights and responsibilities of scientists in their relationships with each other and with other parties including employers, research subjects, clients, students, etc."

5. CONT…… Professional ethics is essentially a matter of self-regulation (as opposed to that imposed by legislation), although rules set down by a professional society or other standard setting body may help Because many of the issues do not lend themselves to black-and-white codification, a biologist's personal code of ethics develops over time, as his or her experience grows and conditions change

6. Professional ethics for research Biologists: Initial ideas for research Gathering Data Interpretation of Results Publication Evaluation of research and dealing with peers Other issues

7. Initial ideas for research A scientist gets ideas for research projects from a variety of sources, including conversations at professional meetings, remarks in the scientific literature, and questions raised by one's own research.

8. Ethical issues in gathering data Science is one of the few human activities where there is an implicit faith in the honesty of data presented in published papers and at meetings. Disagreements over the interpretation of those data are common, and doubts may be raised about methodology, but the basic honesty of the presenter is almost never questioned. Falsifying data is fraud and is clearly outside the lines of ethical behavior.

9. CONT…… Fudging of data may be a more prevalent problem, or at least it is harder to see. Fudging occurs when a scientist reports data that support a preconceived notion and ignores contrary information Using data obtained by others and claiming it as one's own is obviously dishonest. But using unpublished data from somebody else without permission in the development of a theory or formulation of experiments is only marginally unethical.

10. CONT….. The rights and welfare of experimental subjects is an aspect of data gathering that can present problems for some biologists. Leaving aside the thorny issues of research on humans, animal research is one area where professional ethics for biologists has been codified due to federal legislation. Whereas most research malpractice is punished, if at all, by peer sanctions, criminal charges could be brought against a biologist who oversteps the bounds on animal use. Unfortunately, there is so much emotion and hypocrisy attached to the issue of animal experimentation that rational discussion is generally not possible between those at the extremes.

11. Interpretation of results When the results of a study are being prepared for publication, often isolated pieces of data are inconsistent with the other data. If there is honest doubt about accuracy (e.g., probable error in pipetting), many would say it is justifiable to throw out the measurements. when an experimental treatment is found to have had no effect, the investigators may elect not to publish the negative results. Because the literature is already overflowing with studies

12. CONT…. Weaknesses in biological research may not become obvious until the data are analyzed. It is tempting when writing up one's work not to dwell on the weakness. Most biologists would agree that the data should be presented in an objective manner, but selection of modifiers in data interpretation and style of graphs can color perceptions, especially by readers not knowledgeable in the discipline.

13. Publication Promotions for biologists (in academic institutions, at least) are based primarily on numbers of publications, a measure easier to quantify than is quality One solution proposed is to base promotion and tenure on only a limited number of papers (e.g., ten for full professor). But with multiple authorship of papers, this solution may not be feasible Because researchers place great value on publication, authorship can be a contentious issue. The number of coauthors on published articles has increased over the years, in part because of the increasing number of interdisciplinary studies. But often one or more coauthors are included who have had little or nothing to do with the research.

14. CONT….. A problem that occasionally arises in academic institutions is the graduate student who leaves on completion of the degree without preparing a manuscript for publication. Most biologists would define duplicate publication as unethical if the material is presented as being new. Journals' directions to contributors make this admonition quite explicit

15. Evaluation of research and dealings with peers When editors send a manuscript to referees, they are obligated to handle it expeditiously, critically, and fairly. They should decline to review papers clearly outside their area of expertise After papers are published or presented at meetings, some scientists may interpret the results differently from the original presenter It is not uncommon for a scientist working as a consultant or as a company employee to be put into a situation where he or she must consider taking a stand that opposes views held by superiors.

16. CONT…… A critical peer relationship is that between graduate student and major professor. The student's responsibility includes keeping the major professor informed of research progress. An ethical professor guides the student toward a project that is possible to complete in a reasonable time the major professor instills in the student a sense of scientific integrity, more often through example than preaching .

17. Other issues There are other ethical issues of professional biologists, as well as of other scientists, such as the balance between research and teaching, evaluation of peers for promotion and tenure, and journal editing. some involve basic honesty and others do not. As with ethical issues in any field, there are situations where correct behavior is not always obvious and different perspectives may prevail.