Who Determine Ethical Standards

Honors 232, Biology in Society, Lecture #4 Questions

-Who determines the ethical guidelines and standards for scientists and how are they enforced?

The scientific community, in a sense, is a self-regulating group for scientists. All scientists are a part of the scientific community and hold each other to a strict set of ethical guidelines and standards. They expect each other to rigorously scrutinize scientific ideas for flawed logic, act honestly and with integrity, give credit to others when it is due, and adhere to ethical guidelines. Scientists trust each other to adhere to the strict standards and ethical guidelines they created; if not, there is a case of scientific misconduct. Scientific misconduct happens when scientists fail to fairly scrutinize others’ work, report cases honestly, assign credit, and follow ethical guidelines. However, these cases of scientific misconduct often do not go unnoticed and unpunished for long, as peer review will expose fraudulence. Thus, while the scientific community relies on the honor code to

Scientific research requires money, and research topics that are deemed more valuable or acceptable by society are more likely to receive funding. The general public can sway where funding is directed to, either indirectly through politics or directly by donating to certain causes. Society also influences scientific research through its needs; many scientists conduct research looking for solutions with potential applications. The needs and problems of the general public, therefore, are an important driving force for scientific research. Additionally, scientists have values and beliefs that developed as a result of the larger culture of the general public. Because scientists are inherently influenced by their own personal views, the questions they pursue and the methods they use to research are indirectly influenced by the general