Ethics in Science and Engineering

The only treatment of ethics from a scientific and engineering perspective The pursuit of science and engineering requires freedom of thought and, in the academic sense, unrestricted communication. It is through the professionalism of the members of these disciplines that world knowledge and technology advances. Yet there are continuous reports of unethical behavior in the forms of data manipulation, cheating, and plagiarism at the highest levels. The motivations for this behavior are varied, such as the need to advance one's career or to obtain research funding. This book gives an account of scientific and engineering disciplines and examines the potential for unethical behavior by professionals. Documented examples are presented to show where the matter could have been halted before it became an unethical issue. The authors also look to the future to see what is in store for professionals in science and engineering and how the potential for unethical behavior can be negated.

The only treatment of ethics from a scientific and engineering perspectiveThe pursuit of science and engineering requires freedom of thought and, in the academic sense, unrestricted communication. It is through the professionalism of the members of these disciplines that world knowledge and technology advances. Yet there are continuous reports of unethical behavior in the forms of data manipulation, cheating, and plagiarism at the highest levels. The motivations for this behavior are varied, such as the need to advance one's career or to obtain research funding.This book gives an account of scientific and engineering disciplines and examines the potential for unethical behavior by professionals. Documented examples are presented to show where the matter could have been halted before it became an unethical issue. The authors also look to the future to see what is in store for professionals in science and engineering and how the potential for unethical behavior can be negated.

Preface ix1. Explaining Ethics 11.1 Introduction 11.2 The Impact of Science and Engineering 81.3 The Framework of Ethics 121.4 Ethics in Professional Life 19References 242. Scientists and Engineers 272.1 Introduction 272.2 Definitions 322.3 Scientific Disciplines 352.4 Engineering Disciplines 392.5 Expert Witness 412.6 Professionalism 43References 503. The Psychology and Philosophy of Ethics 533.1 Introduction 533.2 Ethical Responsibilities in Research 563.3 Ethics in Science and Engineering 633.4 A Phenomenological Theory of Ethics 723.5 Conflicts of Interest 76References 824. Education of Scientists and Engineers 854.1 Introduction 854.2 The High School Experience 874.3 The Baccalaureate Experience 914.4 The Graduate Degree Experience 1024.5 Postdoctoral Education 1064.6 Morals and Values 1084.7 Evaluating Scientists and Engineers 1134.8 Intellectual Property 114References 1195. Scientific and Engineering Societies 1235.1 Introduction 1235.2 Scientific Societies 1275.3 Engineering Societies 1315.4 Codes of Ethics and Ethical Standards 1345.5 Promoting Research Integrity 1385.6 The Effectiveness of Society Activities 1405.7 Academic Freedom 148References 1536. Codes of Ethics and Ethical Standards 1576.1 Introduction 1576.2 Ethics 1666.3 Codes of Ethics 1796.4 The Premise Behind Codes of Ethics 1846.5 Codes of Ethics and Peer Reviews 188References 1917. Integrity in Research 1957.1 Introduction 1957.2 The Nature and Conduct of Research 2057.3 Collecting Research Data 2167.4 The Controls 226References 2318. Publication and Communication 2358.1 Introduction 2358.2 The Scientific and Engineering Literature 2418.3 The Journals 2428.4 Data Manipulation for Publication 2478.5 Detecting Falsified Data 2488.6 Peer Reviewers and Their Duties 2498.7 Duties and Responsibilities of a Journal Editor 252References 2579. Enforcement of Codes of Ethics 2599.1 Introduction 2599.2 Following a Code of Ethics 2629.3 Enforcing a Code of Ethics 2649.4 Reporting Misconduct 2749.5 Published Examples of Unethical Behavior 280References 288Glossary 291Index 301