Divisive Dispute Smolders over Definition of Scientific Misconduct
PAMELA S. ZUNER · Chemical & Engineering News · 1993
Until recently, the Public Health Service (PHS) faced few obstacles to its plan to narrow its definition of what constitutes scientific misconduct. But now a committee of the House of Representatives has made it clear it will not accept a major change PHS plans to propose. And the National Science Foundation's (NSF) refusal to limit its misconduct definition has revealed a wide gap between the two federal agencies responsible for most basic academic research. Last year, PHS's Advisory Committee on Research Integrity recommended dropping from the definition the controversial phrase "other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community," among other changes. The committee's advice reflects fears that the inexplicit wording invites persecution of unconventional researchers. The phrase was also unanimously rejected by the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) panel on scientific responsibility and the conduct of research. "The panel wishes to discourage the possibility that a misconduct complaint ...