Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) or Scientific ...ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu/collard/CHEM2000/p-RCR.pdf · or Scientific Misconduct or Scientific Ethics ... was also the project

Responsible Conduct of Research Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)(RCR)oror

Scientific MisconductScientific Misconductoror

Scientific EthicsScientific Ethics

David M. Collard

WHAT IS RCR, AND WHAT IS RCR, AND WHY DISCUSS IT?WHY DISCUSS IT?

INTRODUCTION

etheth‐‐ics ics –– A Dictionary DefinitionA Dictionary Definition

1. (used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.

2 th l f d t i d i t t2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.

3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.

4. (usually used with a singular verb) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

dictionary.com

Ethics Ethics –– Key QuestionsKey Questions

Ethics (moral philosophy) addresses questions of morality, such as:

H h ld li d t t th ?How should we live and treat one another?

What are right and wrong?

How can we know or decide?

Where do our ethical ideas come from?

What are rights? Who or what has them?

Should we coerce one another?Should we coerce one another?

Can we find an ethical system that applies to everyone?

What do we mean by duty, justice and other similar concepts?

www.wikipedia.com

Ethical CodesEthical Codes

American Chemical Society: The Chemist’s Code of Conductacs.orgChemical Professionals Acknowledge Their Responsibilities to: the Public; the Science of Chemistry; the Profession; their Employer their Employees; Students; Associates; their Clients; the Environment

ACS Publications: Guidelines for Publicationhttp://pubs.acs.org/userimages/ContentEditor/1218054468605/ethics.pdf

American Institute of Chemists: Code of Ethicswww.theaic.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=46

Georgia Tech: Student Honor Codewww.honor.gatech.edu

National Academies PressNational Academies Press

On Being a ScientistOn Being a ScientistIntroductionThe Social Foundations of ScienceExperimental Techniques and the Treatment

of DataValues in Science Conflicts of InterestPublication and OpennessThe Allocation of CreditAuthorship PracticesError and Negligence in Science Misconduct in Science

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Misconduct in Science Responding to Violations of Ethical StandardsThe Scientist in SocietyBibliographyAppendix: Discussion of Case Studies

Read it online:http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12192&page=1

“I beseech you….”“I beseech you….”

"Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known we always feel

en.wikipedia.orbrink of the known, we always feel

forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error, and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible.”

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“In the end the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: ‘I beseech you, … think it youmay be mistaken’.”

"The Ascent of Man," by Jacob Bronowski; Little, Brown & Co.© Jacob Bronowski 1973 page 374

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Scientific codes of conduct largely transcend national, cultural, religious boundaries

The Scientist as SkepticThe Scientist as Skeptic

Scientists use critical thinking, and inductive reasoning to evaluate evidence in light of hypotheses. It is imperative to avoid biases in such an evaluation

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to avoid biases in such an evaluation.

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Forms of Scientific Misconduct Forms of Scientific Misconduct

Obfuscation ‐ The omission, or selecting, of particular data to support a hypothesis

F b i ti ki d t "d l bbi "Fabrication ‐making up data, "drylabbing".

Falsification ‐ altering data to fit an expectation.

Making unsubstantiated claims ‐ assertions that are not supported through literature citation or new results.

Plagiarism and self plagiarism

Motivators of Scientific MisconductMotivators of Scientific Misconduct

Motivators of Scientific MisconductMotivators of Scientific Misconduct

Reputation

Support and funding

“Publish or Perish”

Pride

Money

Ideology

Pleasing others

Other possible origins of ethical lapsesOther possible origins of ethical lapses

Individual ego or vanity

Psychiatric illness (Weed, 1998)

Incompetence

Sloppy writing and reportingAdapted from: © 2004 Northern Illinois University

Scientific Ethics in PerspectiveScientific Ethics in Perspective

Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership

Conflicting Interests

Peer Review

Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship

Research: Human Subjects/Materials, Animals

From course on “Taking Responsibility for Responsible Conduct of Research”, R. McGee; L. Smith; D. Schneeweis, A. Adams, Northwestern University

Your Responsibilities as a ScientistYour Responsibilities as a Scientist

Our goal is to pursue understanding,◦ It is not to confirm our hypotheses,

It is to design experiments and collect data carefully◦ It is to design experiments and collect data carefully

◦ It is to understand that measurements have intrinsic error

◦ It is explore to explore hypotheses dispassionately (dispassionately is NOT without passion, but rather without bias).

We must… ◦ document what we do and what we observe.document what we do and what we observe.

◦ examine the data and draw conclusions from data not from preconceived notions.

S. Marder

Four Levels of Ethical ThoughtFour Levels of Ethical Thought

Sensitivity ‐ awareness of the potential ethical dimensions of a situation (e.g., the potential for conflicts of interest, options for action)options for action)

Reasoning ‐ ability to identify that which is moral among competing options for action

Commitment ‐ ability to choose moral values over personal ends

Perseverance ‐ ability to persevere in spite of opposition ( )(e.g., 'everyone does it this way...')

Adapted from : (©1992‐2004). All rights, including the right of presentation or reproduction in whole or in part in any form, are reserved by Michael

Kalichman and the University of California, San Diego

A Slippery SlopeA Slippery Slope

What harm does a small ethical slip cause?

A Key Concept: EmpathyA Key Concept: Empathy

Step into the shoes of the various claimants and try to access, honestly, what they would prefer you do in this situationsituation.

One of the hardest tasks in ethical decision making is this. Many philosophers say that to be able to see a problem from another's perspective is a great gift.

The key here is to try your hardest to see the problem from their perspectives.

Adapted from : (©1992‐2004). All rights, including the right of presentation or reproduction in whole or in part in any form, are reserved by Michael

Kalichman and the University of California, San Diego

CASE STUDIESCASE STUDIES

Responding to Moral Problems in Responding to Moral Problems in Scientific ResearchScientific Research

4 Step Process◦ Step 1: State the issues and points of conflict

Step 2 Identify the parties involved◦ Step 2: Identify the parties involved

◦ Step 3: Ponder the consequences

◦ Step 4: Consider the obligations

Jessica Banks Case

◦ Developed by Bebeau (U. of Minnesota) with Pimple, Muskavitch, Borden & Smith (Indiana U.)

The Jessica Banks Case Jessica Banks, a Ph.D. student in Professor Brian Hayward's lab, has recently defended her dissertation and is

now ready to file it and leave for her new job. During her second year, when starting research in Hayward's lab, Banks divided her time among three projects. Then in her third year, after consultation with Hayward, she decided to continue and expand upon one ofthe three lines of investigation for her dissertation research. This was also the project most closely related to Hayward's grant at the time. Later, Banks's experimental plan and early results were included in Hayward's grant renewal. The other two promising lines of research were left incomplete.

Banks's new job is a tenure‐track position in a mid‐sized western liberal arts college. Shortly before leaving for her job, she comes into the lab to pick up her notebooks. Although her new faculty position will place a heavy emphasis on teaching, she is looking forward to continuing to do some research as well. In particular, she isemphasis on teaching, she is looking forward to continuing to do some research as well. In particular, she is eager to pick up where she left offwith the two uncompleted projects she worked on before.

Professor Hayward meets Banks on her way into the lab, and their genial conversation abruptly changes when she mentions she has come to take her notebooks.

Hayward exclaims, "You can't take those notebooks away ‐they belong to the lab!" Banks is confused. "But I did the work, and I wanted to follow up on it. I can't do that without the notebooks." Professor Hayward is adamant. "I'm sorry, but you should understand this. This lab is a joint enterprise, and

all the work you did was funded by money I brought in via grants. The notebooks don't belong to you, nor to me; they belong to the lab, and the work will be continued in this lab. I've already talked to one of the new students about working on those projects this fall."

Banks, seeing her plans fall apart around her, protests, but Hayward is implacable. After a few minutes, she stalks away without the notebooksstalks away, without the notebooks.

Later that afternoon, Banks gets together with her classmate Paul Larson, and during their conversation, she tells him about her run‐in with Hayward.

"Look," says Larson. "Hayward has no right to deny you access to the information in the notebooks. Even if the books should remain in the lab, you did the work that generated all the data."

"I know!" says Banks. "But Hayward wouldn't listen to that argument when I made it." "Here's my suggestion," says Larson after some reflection. "Just stop by the lab and photocopy the books

some time during the weekend. I happen to know Hayward will be out of town, so he'll never know. That's the fair thing to do: He gets to keep the notebooks in his lab, and you get a copy of the data you collected."

Banks seems uncertain, but says she'll think about Larson's suggestion and decide before the weekend. Should Banks photocopy the notebooks? Why or why not?

Cases from Cases from Kovac’sKovac’s“The Ethical Chemist”“The Ethical Chemist”

CASE: YIELDSYou have just completed the synthesis and characterization of a

new compound and are writing an article for publication. The compound is quite interesting and you have developed a clever synthetic route, so you expect this paper to attract a lot of attention. Using your “best” synthetic methodology, you have b i d i ld f 40% 45% 50% d 70%obtained yields of 40%, 45%, 50%, and 70%

on four separate preparations. When you write the experimentalsection, you report the yield as70%. Is this report legitimate?

from “The Ethical Chemist”

CASE: DATA POINTSYou are engaged in the study of the substituent effects on the

rates of reaction of a particular class of compounds. Your research advisor has suggested that based on a variety of considerations it is expected that the log of the rate constant will vary linearly with the a well precedented substituent parameter. Indeed, high‐level

t ti l t di b ll b t di t thi ticomputational studies by a collaborator predict this suggestion.You plot log(rate constant) versus substituent parameter with

the results of eight different systems (each data point being the result of long and exacting measurements). Six of the eight fall nicely on a straight line, but two points lie well off the line. You discuss this with your research advisor. What should you do?

1. Repeat the two “deviant” measurements? 2. Repeat all the experiments to make sure the data are correct? 3. Do you publish the data omitting the two points that do not fall on a straight line?

Modified from “The Ethical Chemist”

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Do not let your expectations cloud your view of the data. Keep an open mind to other possible explanationsexplanations.

Do not jump to conclusions

Share RAW DATA with others (research advisors)

CASE: PUBLICATIONS LIST (1)A member of your research group will finish her degree at the

end of the summer and is applying for permanent jobs. She is preparing her resume and comes to you for some advice. She has been quite productive as a graduate student, but none of her research has yet appeared in journals. One article has been accepted and three more are in various stages of completionaccepted and three more are in various stages of completion. When you look at her list of publications, you notice that the three manuscripts that are currently being written are all listed as “submitted” to various journals. She asks you for comments on herresume. What should you tell her?

What about when a manuscript has indeed been submitted?been submitted?


CASE: SAFETY (1): LABORATORY CLEAN UP Late one afternoon you are cleaning up after a successful day in

the laboratory. Things have gone well, and you are looking forward to a dinner engagement with a special friend. Suddenly you notice a small flask of contaminated toluene that you forgot to put into the organic waste container. Carrying the flask to the hood, you notice that all the waste bottles are full You look around the labnotice that all the waste bottles are full. You look around the lab but find no empty waste bottles. Of course there are plenty of bottles in the storeroom, but it is located in the basement of another building; it would take fifteen minutes to get there and back. You promised to pick up your friend at 6:30. If you leave immediately, you will have just enough time to get home, clean up and change, and get to your friend’s apartment. You think to yourself “It’s just a few milliliters of toluene. I’ll just pour it down the sink. It won’t hurt anything.” Is this action acceptable? Do you have other options?


CASE: SAFETY (2): A CARELESS COWORKER You have just begun research in synthetic chemistry with

Professor Holmes. He has asked one of his advanced students, John Watson, to help you get started on your project. You are quite impressed with John. He is bright, knows a lot of chemistry, and has excellent lab skills. He has been very patient with you, demonstrating the complicated techniques that you need todemonstrating the complicated techniques that you need to master. There is something about John that troubles you, however. He never wears his safety goggles in the lab, even when working with dangerous substances. You have always been careful about safety procedures, and John’s disregard of them makes you quite nervous; you are concerned both about his health and about the possible consequences to you of his cavalier attitude. The one time you asked him about his lack of precautions he shut you off by saying, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” What should you do?


CASE: BUYING A CALCULATOR As a student you are on a very limited personal budget, but

your research group has a very large budget for supplies. Next semester you will be taking a course in which a calculator with graphics capabilities will be required. These calculators are quite expensive, and it will be difficult for you to find that much extra money in your budget Whileto find that much extra money in your budget. While discussing your problem over lunch, a fellow student suggests that you charge the calculator to your advisor’s research grant: “Dr. Morgan will never notice such a small amount of money. We spend that much on solvents every week in this group. Besides, you probably will also use it in your research

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CASE: UNDERGRADUATE COAUTHOR Chris, an undergraduate researcher, is near the end of a kinetics

project that Dr. Cain, your graduate advisor, has suggested. Chris’s data, if sufficient, will be used in a paper detailing your current research. Not only because his work is relevant, but also because it will enhance Chris’s applications to graduate schools, Dr. Cain has

ti d i l di Ch i th i imentioned including Chris as a coauthor in your upcoming paper. He has made it clear that he expects you to support Chris and be available for assistance so that the authorship will be for a valid contribution. In an attempt to do this, you have on several occasions asked

Chris about his work and suggested ways to improve his techniques. Chris, although friendly, does not seem to be receptive


q , g y, pto your suggestions and has not been willing to discuss the results with you. After Chris has left for the day, you notice his notebook and computer printouts on the workbench. Curious about the results of the experiments, because of their importance to your work, you begin to look through Chris’s papers….

The results do not make any sense and do not suggest any of the necessary correlations for your paper. Out of frustration and the need for good results, you decide to stay late and repeat some of Chris’s experiments as they are outlined in his notebook. The results you obtain are different from Chris’s and provide the necessary correlations. In the morning you inform Chris of your findings making everyIn the morning, you inform Chris of your findings, making every

effort to be supportive rather than accusatory, because you are well aware that his difficulty with the experiment is most likely due to a simple technical error. Chris, however, is offended by your snooping and asks you to mind your own business. You try to explain that the results of the experiments are your business, but Chris is not responsive. He simply continues his work. When you p p y ymention the situation to Dr. Cain, he tells you to take it easy with Chris because he is the son of a very good friend for whom Dr. Cain is doing a favor. Dr. Cain tells you just to repeat everything that Chris does and use that data in the paper. Chris will have done work on the project so he can still get the authorship as discussed.

You are appalled by Dr Cain’s comments and reasons for having Chris in his lab. And you certainly do not want to give credit to Chris for work not properly done. What should you do?

PLAGIARISMPLAGIARISM

PlagiarismPlagiarism

"the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication as one's own, of the ideas, or the expression of the ideas of another” OEDof the ideas ... of another. OED

“systematic, unacknowledged use of another’s work, whether or not intentional” A. Scheeline & J. Katzenellenbogan

American Medical Association Manual of StyleAmerican Medical Association Manual of Style

Types of PlagiarismTypes of PlagiarismDirect, verbatim lifting of passages

Rewording ideas from the original in the purported th ’ t lauthor’s own style

Paraphrasing the original work without attribution

Noting the original source of only some of what is borrowed

AlsoAlsoAlsoAlsotaking credit for someone else's research findings

The Washington Post, May 21, 1995

Univ. of Alabama, Researchers Ordered to Pay $1 6 MillionPay $1.6 Million

A judge has ordered the University of Alabama and four of its researchers to pay about $1.6 million to the federal government and a scientist for stealing research and using it to get federal grants.

Pamela A Berge an epidemiologist and consultant forPamela A. Berge, an epidemiologist and consultant for Pfizer Inc., sued the researchers after they published a paper using her data but did not credit her, Berge's lawyer, Alexander Bok, said Friday.

The researchers used that data to get large grants from the Bethesda‐based National Institutes of ...

Preventing PlagiarismPreventing Plagiarism

Use quotation marks when more than 6 words are lifted verbatim from another source

Cite the original source when paraphrasing material

Credit the original source for all the information borrowed.

Unpublished material is the exclusive property of the original author.

Written permission is required for the use of all cartoons, drawings, figures etc.

J. Brodbelt, U. of Texas

Plagiarism pitfallsPlagiarism pitfalls

Example 1: Direct copying from original sources.

Example 2: Direct copying from original sources, but ith f t twith footnotes

Example 3: Rewording a sentence (paraphrasing)

Example 4: Borrowing organization

Example 5: Submitting someone else's work

Example 6: Failing to reference/footnote source material

U. Of Kentucky Chemistry Dept: www.chem.uky.edu/Courses/common/plagiarism.html

Paraphrasing IParaphrasing I

Source: Angelici, Synthesis and Technique in Inorganic Chemistry, p 46.

"Those complexes that contain unpaired electrons are attracted into a magnetic field and are said to be paramagnetic, while those with no unpaired electrons are repelled by such a field and are called diamagnetic“

Student Paper #1

"Complexes that contain unpaired electrons are those that are attracted to a magnetic field. These are called paramagnetic, while those with no unpaired electrons are repelled by a magnetic field and are said to be diamagnetic."

Student Paper #2

"Those complexes that contain paired electrons are repelled by a magnetic field and are said to be diamagnetic whereas those with no paired electronsfield and are said to be diamagnetic, whereas those with no paired electrons are attracted to such a field and are called paramagnetic."

Student Paper #3

"Compounds that have unpaired electrons are attracted to a magnetic field and are called paramagnetic. Compounds with no unpaired electrons are repelled by this field and are said to be diamagnetic."


Paraphrasing IIParaphrasing II‐‐ii

Source: S. Blair, M. Song, B. Hall, J. Brodbelt, Journal of Forensic Science, 2001,46, 688.

“Gamma‐hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which functions as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator, is a natural metabolite of gamma‐aminobutyric acid found in the mammalian brain. GHB has been used for illicit purposes, such as recreational drug use and sexual assault because of its sleep‐inducing effect. GHB has many severe negative side affects, for example seizures, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation, which are experienced at higher dosages. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of this drug in 1990, except for the clinical treatment of narcolepsy. Because of the increasing incidence of GHB use in young adults, the need for rapid,

iti f d t ti GHB h b i t t l ti lsensitive means of detecting GHB has become an important analytical objective, especially because GHB is odorless, tasteless and frequently renders the user unresponsive.”

Student paper #1

The need for rapid, sensitive means of detecting GHB has become an important analytical objective because of the increasing incidence of GHB use in young adults. J. Brodbelt, U. of Texas

Paraphrasing IIParaphrasing II‐‐iiii




Student paper #2

It is known that gamma‐hydroxybutryate, which functions as a neurotransmitter, is a natural metabolite of gamma‐aminobutyric acid found in the mammalian brain [1]. J. Brodbelt, U. of Texas

Paraphrasing IIParaphrasing II‐‐iiiiii




Student paper #3

In 1999, Blair’s study reported many of the detrimental side affects related to the ingestion of gamma‐hydroxybutryate [1], some of which could be lethal, such as seizures, or seriously impairing, such as dizziness. J. Brodbelt, U. of Texas

CitationsCitations

The references cited in a research publication form the path that connects new work with the work on which it is builtis built. ◦ A thorough reference search is the foundation for responsible research; appropriate reference citation is the foundation for responsible reporting.

Because future readers rely on the references listed, an author has a series of responsibilities◦ Assure the accuracy of each citationy

◦ Include adequate references that document the origins of ideas

◦ Verify that referenced works are consistent with information credited to them

◦ Cite original sources whenever possible

◦ Do not simply count on review articles

Adapted from: Michael Kalichman UC‐San Diego ©1992‐2004

The Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of Style

Citations and Common FactsCitations and Common FactsIdeally, authors of works of original scholarship present their arguments in their own words.

Wh th h t fWhenever authors paraphrase or quote from sources directly, they should give credit to the words and ideas taken from others.

Commonly known facts, available in numerous sources, should not be enclosed in quotation marks or given a source citation unless the wording is taken directly from another Also not treated as quotations are proverbialanother. Also not treated as quotations are proverbial, biblical, and well‐known literary expressions used as part of the author's text.

The Chicago Manual of Style, 1982: 282

To cite or not to cite?To cite or not to cite?

"benzene is aromatic“

“Ferrocene is an aromatic molecule which has been h t b ti th b i tishown to be more reactive than benzene in aromatic substitution reactions"


Catch 22? Catch 22? Citing once (or twice, or ….) might not be enoughCiting once (or twice, or ….) might not be enough

Napolitano v. Princeton University Trustees case

the use of footnotes to a plagiarized text proved intent to d i (M d l 1985 6 7)deceive. (Mawdsley 1985: 6‐7)

SOME CONCLUDING SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTSTHOUGHTS

Almost finished…

Safety as an Ethical ImperativeSafety as an Ethical Imperative

Endangering others is inherently unethical

Endangering oneself is foolish

Endangering other creatures is regulated by University and EHS policies

A. Scheeline & J. Katzenellenbogan

Principles to Live and Work ByPrinciples to Live and Work By

Honesty: Strive for honesty in all scientific communications.◦ Honestly report data results methods and procedures and◦ Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication status.

◦ Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.

◦ Do not deceive colleagues, granting agencies, or the public.

Objectivity: Strive to avoid bias in◦ Experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation,

◦ Peer review personnel decisions◦ Peer review, personnel decisions,

◦ Grant writing, expert testimony,

◦ Other aspects of research where objectivity is expected or required.

Avoid or minimize bias or self‐deception.

David B. Resnik, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University

Disclose: personal or financial interests that may affect research.

Integrity: Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought and action.

Carefulness: Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your own work and thecarefully and critically examine your own work and the work of your peers.◦ Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research design, and correspondence with agencies or journals.

Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources.◦ Be open to criticism and new ideas.

David B. Resnik, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University

Respect Intellectual Property◦ Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property

◦ Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without permission

◦ Give credit where credit is due

◦ Give proper acknowledgement or credit for all contributions to research

◦ Never plagiarize

Confidentiality: Protect confidential communications◦ Papers or grants submitted for publication

◦ Personnel records

◦ Trade or military secrets

◦ Patient records

Adapted from David B. Resnik, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University

Responsible Publication: Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance just your own career.◦ Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication

◦ Avoid splitting results up to publish them separately without scientific justification

Responsible Mentoring: Help to educate, mentor, and advise students.◦ Promote their welfare and allow them to make their own decisions

◦ This does not just apply to professors, but everyone in the lab!

Respect for colleagues: Respect them and treat them fairly.


Social Responsibility: Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through research, public education, and advocacy.

Non‐Discrimination: Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their yscientific competence and integrity.

Competence: Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong education and learning.◦ Take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.

Legality: Know and obey relevant laws and institutionalLegality: Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.


Animal Care: Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.

Human Subjects Protection: When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and p g y p yautonomy; take special precautions with vulnerable populations; and strive to distribute the benefits and burdens of research fairly.


ChallengesChallenges

“Recognizing that an ethical issue exists is the first step towards its solution”

“Ethi l bl l i i lik h“Ethical problem-solving is like any research problem, it requires the gathering of information.”

“A crucial step in ethical decision‐making is finding the will to act according to conscience and principle rather than to choose complacency popularity or selfchoose complacency, popularity or self‐interest..”

Assignment of credit Collaboration peer reviewmajority opinion ownership of ideas

emotion self-interestAdapted from: Michael Kalichman, UC‐San Diego(©1992‐2004)

Caught in a Conflict?Caught in a Conflict?

Resolution often involves individuals with different authorities and powers (or perceptions of power)

I iti ll i th i i t llInitially raise the issue internally

If unsatisfied, consult peers, mentors, etc

Institutional safeguards ◦ Use a trusted mentor to investigate, or advocate (possibly without mentioning names)

◦ Whistleblower laws

◦ Supervisory structures, institutional RESPONSIBILITY

Departmental student advocates

Dean of Students

Georgia Tech Office of Research Compliancewww.compliance.gatech.edu/misconduct.shtml

CHEM 2802 CHEM 2802 ASSIGNMENTASSIGNMENT

In pairs, make a 15 min Powerpoint presentation on a case of scientific misconduct. Provide perspectives on the following.

People◦ The accused

◦ The accuser

◦ Others

The science

The alleged misconduct ◦ Give actual examples of erroneous or fabricated data; plagiarized text, etc

Who was effected? How?Who was effected? How?

How was the allegation handled? ◦ Who investigated, and judged, the validity of the allegation? What was the outcome? Was the outcome disputed?

Peter V. Schwatz and Chad A. Mirkin (analytical chemistry ‐ ownership of data/coauthorship)

Steven Arnold (Tulane University ‐environmental estrogen mimics)

P. Chiranjeevi (Sri Venkateswara University ‐plagiarism, multiple papers)

Leo Paquette (Ohio State U. ‐ plagiarism)

Robert Gallo (HIV/AIDS)David Baltimore and Rhereza Imanishi‐Kari

(data fabrication)Luk Van Parijs (data fabrication)Jacques Benveniste (immunology,

homeopathy)Alan Sokal (hoax paper)Emil Abderhalden (enzymes)Penumaka Nagababu and S. Satyanarayana

Hugo Rüdiger (cell phones and cancer)

James H. Freisheim (biochemistry, plagiarism in grant proposal)

Timothy R. Kulko (medicine, coauthorship, fabrication)

Frederich Kekule (originality and attribution)

Rambis M. Chu (physics ‐ plagiarism of a grant proposal)

James La Clair and Scott Rychnovsky ( th i d t t f h li l)

Penumaka Nagababu and S. Satyanarayana (plagiarism, Bioinorg. Chem.& Appl. 2007, Polyhedron 2007)

Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann (cold fusion ‐ proper disclosure)

Raed Ghanem (plagiarism, Inorg. Chem.2002, Intern. J. Photoenergy, 2008)

Henk Buck and Jaap Goudsmit (bioorganic)Pielak (UNC, in‐cell NMR, reproducibility)Armando Córdova (Stockholm U, organic

catalysis, proper attribution)(synthesis and structure of hexacyclinol)

Dalibor Sames and Bengu Sezen (organic Chemistry, Columbia University)

John Darsee (medical research fabrication)

William Summerlin (immunology, fabrication)

Jan Hendrik Schön (organic semiconductors, data fabrication)

y , p p )Robert Millikan (oil drop experiment,

selection of data)Victor Ninov (Lawrence Berkeley National

Laboratory, ununoctium and ununhexium)

Note that even if work was retracted, there might be some parts which remain valid.

D t t t i di id l t id f G i T hDo not contact any individuals outside of Georgia Tech.

Fraud Busters

Plastic Electronics – the Case of Hendrick Schon – Bell Labs

Ph.D. Bell LabsPublication list

The ScienceOrganic Field Effect Transistors make use of highly conjugated organic materials as semi-conductors.

Disputed Data

!

After Two Scandals, Physics Group Expands Ethics GuidelinesBy DENNIS OVERBYE

Findings & Consequences

Researcher Loses Ph.D. Over Discredited PapersBy KENNETH CHANGPhysicist J Hendrik Schon, who was fired from Bell Labs for manipulating or fabricating data in 17 research papers, has his doctorate revoked from University of Konstanz,

Who else was effected

Dr. Zhenan Bao, now Professorof Chemical Engineering at Stanford

Retracted coauthored papersOther Bell Labs

The editors of journals Sceince, and Nature retracted

Peer Reviewers

Scientific community

In the News

American Physical Society council issues revised ethical guidelines for its

How the Journals Responded

Where are they now?

Lessons Learned

Scientific community

On Integrity…On Integrity…

“Many people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist….

They are wrong; it isThey are wrong; it is character.”

Documents

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) or Scientific ...ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu/collard/CHEM2000/p-RCR.pdf · or Scientific Misconduct or Scientific Ethics ... was also the project