ScienceDaily: Scientific Conduct News

Returning genetic incidental findings without patient consent violates basic rights, experts say

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:25:25 EDT

Scientists push back against recent American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recommendations, and offer compelling reasons why patient autonomy must remain firmly in place as science advances.

Unethical advertising at launch of new antidepressants in Sweden

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:36:36 EDT

The new feature of the antidepressant drugs of the 1990s was that they had milder side-effects than their predecessors. Combined with aggressive marketing, this meant that annual sales in Sweden increased from just under EUR 18 million to over EUR 100 million in the space of just a few years.

Sharing examination questions threatens trust in medical profession

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:36:36 EDT

Unethical behavior among physicians-in-training threatens to erode public trust and confidence in the medical profession. Reacting to CNN reports last year about the widespread use of "recalls" and "airplane notes" by radiology and dermatology residents, experts call on leaders in medical education to establish guidelines and change the culture of medical school and training programs.

Can one buy the right to name a planet? A response to recent name-selling campaigns

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:23:23 EDT

In the light of recent events, where the possibility of buying the rights to name exoplanets has been advertised, the wishes to inform the public that such schemes have no bearing on the official naming process. The IAU wholeheartedly welcomes the public’s interest to be involved in recent discoveries, but would like to strongly stress the importance of having a unified naming procedure.

Doctors urged to 'pause before posting' and not 'friend' patients

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:23:23 EDT

New recommendations offer physicians ethical guidance for preserving trust in patient-physician relationships and the profession when using social media.

Language used in immigration debates may be as important as the policies

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:55:55 EDT

The language activists and politicians use in immigration debates may be as important as the policies they are debating when it comes to long-term effects, according to the author of a new study in the April issue of the American Sociological Review.

Women make better decisions than men, study suggests

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:16:16 EDT

Women's abilities to make fair decisions when competing interests are at stake make them better corporate leaders, researchers have found. The study showed that women are more likely to consider the rights of others and to take a cooperative approach to decision-making. This approach translates into better performance for their companies.

Do-gooder or ne'er-do-well? Behavioral science explains patterns of moral behavior

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:46:46 EST

Does good behavior lead to more good behavior? Or do we try to balance our good and bad deeds? The answer depends on our ethical mindset, according to new research.

Catfight? Workplace conflicts between women get bad rap

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:22:22 EST

A new study suggests troubling perceptions exist when it comes to women involved in disputes at work.

Scientific misconduct is real, but rare

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:21:21 EST

While instances of scientific misconduct in the publication of research findings is a matter of serious concern, such occurrences are extremely rare, according to new research.

Peer review matters to the public

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:46:46 EST

A new guide to peer review has just been launched to help the public make sense of research claims. People are bombarded with claims in newspapers and on the internet that are based on scientific studies. When faced with a headline that suggests an Alzheimer's drug increases the risk of heart attack or that watching TV is bad for children's mental health, or that pesticides are causing a decline in bee populations, people have to work out what to believe. Which claims should be taken seriously? Which are 'scares'?

Charting progress in debate over medical research with animals

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:16:16 EST

The scientific and ethical debate over the use of animals in medical research has raged for years, but perspectives are shifting, viewpoints are becoming more nuanced, and new initiatives are seeking alternatives to animal testing, according to a special report.

Experts propose overhaul of ethics oversight of research

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:53:53 EST

The longstanding ethical framework for protecting human volunteers in medical research needs to be replaced because it is outdated and can impede efforts to improve health care quality, assert leaders in bioethics, medicine, and health policy.

Forcing choice may hamper decision-making, study finds

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:47:47 EST

Constraining choice isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to managers' problem-solving, according to a new Canadian study. Managers tend to pick higher-risk options when forced to choose between competing alternatives to complex situations, according to researchers.

Men more likely than women to commit scientific fraud

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:19:19 EST

Male scientists are far more likely to commit fraud than females and the fraud occurs across the career spectrum, from trainees to senior faculty. The analysis of professional misconduct was co-led by a researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and was published today in the online journal mBio.

Struggling schools should focus on single goal, research suggests

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:13:13 EST

When schools are failing, new research suggests, administrators should focus on a single, annual goal if they want to obtain higher graduation rates.

PR professionals are not 'yes men' when pressured to be unethical, study finds

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:36:36 EST

Public relations professionals who have provided ethics counsel to senior management are at least as fervent about serving the public interest -- sometimes more so -- as they are about their duty to their organizations, a researcher has found.

Experts aim to redefine healthcare and research ethics

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:39:39 EST

In what they acknowledge as a seismic shift in the ethical foundation of medical research, practice and policy, a prominent group of interdisciplinary healthcare experts rejects an ethical paradigm that has guided the American system since the 1970s and calls for morally obligatory participation in a "learning healthcare system" more in step with the digital age.

Ethical dilemmas in social network-based research

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:20:20 EST

The growing trend towards conducting research on youths as they use social networking sites like Facebook raises ethical questions in academia. Guidelines and best practices are lacking.

Study defines when disclosing a whistle-blower's identity, like in an email, becomes retaliation

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:15:15 EST

Under the law, whistle-blowers are supposed to be protected from direct reprisals on the job, including discrimination. But what if they and their actions becomes the subject of a widely distributed email? Is that a form of retaliation? Two professors at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business set out to answer that question and determine when public disclosure of the whistle-blower's identity -- like in an email -- is sufficient to support such a claim, in a paper that has been accepted for publication in North Carolina Law Review.

We are basically honest – except when we are at work, study suggests

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:45:45 EST

A new study has revealed we are more honest than you might think. The research suggests that it pains us to tell lies, particularly when we are in our own homes. It appears that being honest is hugely important to our sense of who we are. However, while it might bother us to tell lies at home, we are less circumspect at work where we are probably more likely to bend the truth, suggests the study.

Will climate change cause water conflict?

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:09:09 EST

Climate change plays a secondary role in the origin or aggravation of social conflicts linked to water. Political discourses must avoid directly linking climate change with social conflict and human insecurity, without taking into account other political and socio-economic factors.

How to buy an ethical diamond

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:30:30 EST

The holidays are a busy time for engagements, and an expert in corporate responsibility, says socially minded consumers have a lot to think about when it comes to finding the right rock.

Advocacy for planned home birth not in patients’ best interest, experts argue

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:18:18 EST

Advocates of planned home birth have emphasized its benefits for patient safety, patient satisfaction, cost effectiveness, and respect for women's rights. A clinical opinion paper critically evaluates each of these claims in its effort to identify professionally appropriate responses of obstetricians and other concerned physicians to planned home birth.

Physicians often fail to disclose conflicts of interest on social media

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:59:59 EST

As the use of Twitter and other social media by physicians and patients rises, more and more physicians seem to forget to do what many consider crucial for building doctor-patient trust: disclose potential conflicts of interest. However, physicians are not entirely at fault: prominent medical societies have failed to lay out comprehensive guidelines for physicians on when and how to disclose a conflict of interest when utilizing social media.

Republicans and Democrats can agree on some moral issues, study suggests

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:19:19 EST

A new study that asked U.S. conservatives and liberals to rate the most influential historical figures of the 20th Century finds that the two sides of America's "culture wars" share a surprising level of common moral ground. While the study reaffirms some conflicts between Republicans and Democrats – Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger divided participants most – it also offers new advice for bridging the political gap on controversial social issues, such as abortion and reproductive rights.

Peer review option proposed for biodiversity data

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:01:01 EDT

Data publishers should have the option of submitting their biodiversity datasets for peer review, according to a new discussion paper.

Conscience legislation ignores medical providers committed to giving patients all necessary care

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:50:50 EDT

Advances in medicine allow doctors to keep patients alive longer, tackle fertility problems and extend the viability of premature babies. They also lead to a growing number of moral questions for both the medical provider and patient.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: Majority of vendettas originate within a group

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:16:16 EDT

It all began with a harmless game of soccer among young men in northwestern Albania. After one of the players had been injured in a subsequent dispute, his team members shot a relative of the suspected attacker. Now the male members of the families involved in the blood feud do not dare leave their homes. Such vendettas and blood feuds occur in many societies, sometimes lasting for decades. The harm for the participants is enormous and lacks apparent benefit, as the participants often no longer remember what actually triggered the quarrel. Theoretical calculations also demonstrate that vendettas are costly for the participants from an evolutionary point of view and should therefore not develop. Scientists have now investigated the genesis of vendettas.

California leads United States in exonerations of wrongfully convicted

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:29:29 EDT

Two hundred or more wrongful convictions have been thrown out since 1989 in California, costing those convicted more than 1,300 years of freedom and taxpayers $129 million.

Voter ID debate: Do photo ID requirements promote security or suppress participation?

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:05:05 EDT

Will new voting laws, including photo ID requirements, create barriers to voting? Will they impose an unequal burden on participation by some groups of American voters? Are they justified by the need to prevent voting fraud and promote election integrity? Expert views and contrasting opinions on the need for and potential impact of these new state laws are presented in two new articles.

World science academies release report to promote research integrity

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:40:40 EDT

To encourage researchers around the world to adhere to universal science values and ethical behavior, a new report on responsible science has been issued.

'Large and dirty' companies adopting greener strategies to earn more green

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:15:15 EDT

Large industrial firms aren't typically known for embracing eco-friendly policies. But lately they've recognized that going green at the factory is one way of adding green to the bottom line.

Programs for treating addiction in doctors pose ethical issues

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:28:28 EDT

State physician health programs (PHPs) play a key role in helping doctors with substance abuse problems. But the current PHP system is inconsistent and prone to potential conflicts of interest and ethical issues, according to a new review.

Making crowdsourcing more reliable

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:19:19 EDT

Researchers in the UK are designing incentives for collection and verification of information to make crowdsourcing more reliable.

The good, the bad, and the guilty: Anticipating feelings of guilt predicts ethical behavior

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:14:14 EDT

From politics to finance, government to education, ethics-related scandals seem to crop up with considerable regularity. As whistleblowers and investigative journalists bring scandals to light, one can't help but wonder: Are there specific character traits that predispose people to unethical behavior? Converging evidence suggests the answer could be guilt proneness. Psychological scientists have examined the existing research on guilt proneness, exploring how it might influence our behavior in the workplace and beyond.

Health Canada's fast-tracked drug approvals can put public at risk, experts say

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:18:18 EDT

Drugs streamed into Health Canada's 180-day priority review process are more likely to be withdrawn from the market or earn a serious safety warning than those that undergo the 300-day standard review, new research shows. After accounting for other variables which may have caused this variation, the study concludes that the difference is likely due to the faster review time missing serious safety issues.

Misconduct, not error, accounts for most scientific paper retractions: 10-fold increase in fraud-related retractions found

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:19:19 EDT

In sharp contrast to previous studies suggesting that errors account for the majority of retracted scientific papers, a new analysis -- the most comprehensive of its kind -- has found that misconduct is responsible for two-thirds of all retractions. In the paper, misconduct included fraud or suspected fraud, duplicate publication and plagiarism. The paper's findings show as a percentage of all scientific articles published, retractions for fraud or suspected fraud have increased 10-fold since 1975.

Lyme retreatment guidance may be flawed

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:53:53 EDT

A new statistical review calls into question studies that have been taken as proof that antibiotic retreatment for chronic Lyme disease is futile. That misunderstanding has led to medical guidance that discourages retreatment and insurance coverage for it. Instead, the authors of the review suggest, the proper reading of the studies and their data is that they prove nothing.

Ethical dilemmas contribute to 'critical weaknesses' in FDA postmarket oversight, experts say

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:12:12 EDT

Ethical challenges are central to persistent “critical weaknesses” in the national system for ensuring drug safety, according to a commentary by former Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee members published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Deeply held religious beliefs prompting sick kids to be given 'futile' treatment

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:30:30 EDT

Parental hopes of a "miraculous intervention," prompted by deeply held religious beliefs, are leading to very sick children being subjected to futile care and needless suffering, suggests a small study.

Conflict of interest declarations in off-label drug use inadequate, experts say

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:42:42 EDT

Conflict-of-interest statements made by physicians and scientists in their medical journal articles after they had been allegedly paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers as part of off-label marketing programs are often inadequate, highlighting the deficiencies in relying on author candidness and the weaknesses in some journal practices in ensuring proper disclosure, according to a new study.

Should young men be vaccinated against human papilloma virus?

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:33:33 EDT

Vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) is recommended for young women to protect them from HPV infection and cervical cancer. Male HPV immunization is increasingly a topic of debate in the medical community.

Concerns over accuracy of tools to predict risk of repeat offending

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:12:12 EDT

Tools designed to predict an individual's risk of repeat offending are not sufficient on their own to inform sentencing and release or discharge decisions, concludes researchers.

Open access journals reaching the same scientific impact as subscription journals

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:49:49 EDT

A new compares the scientific impact of open access with traditional subscription publishing and has found that both of these publishing business models produce high quality peer reviewed articles. The debate about who should pay for scientific publishing is of continuing importance to the scientific community but also to the general public who not only often pay for the research though charitable contributions, their taxes, and by buying products, but are also affected by the results contained within these articles.

Electronic medical record improves physician compliance of reviewing portal images, study suggests

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:32:32 EDT

The use of an electronic medical record for reviewing portal images dramatically improves compliance with timeliness and record keeping, according to a new study. Portal images are used to verify the positioning of patients during daily radiation treatments to improve the accuracy of the radiation field placement, to reduce exposure to normal tissue and to deliver accurate dose to tumor volumes.

Private healthcare no more efficient, accountable or effective than public sector in LMICs

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:58:58 EDT

A systematic review re-evaluated the evidence relating to comparative performance of public versus private sector healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries.

Lessons learned from the 'ethical odyssey' of an HIV trial

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:11:11 EDT

HIV Prevention Trials Network 052 established that antiretroviral treatment in people who are HIV positive decreases the likelihood of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners. It serves as a case study of ethical challenges faced at every stage of the research trial process.

Eyewitness identification reforms may have unintended consequences

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:24:24 EDT

Psychologist are raising serious questions about eyewitness identification procedures that are being adopted by police departments across the United States.

Facts in scientific drug literature may not be

Tue, 29 May 2012 18:11:11 EDT

A growing concern with fraud and misconduct in published drug studies has led researchers to investigate the extent and reasons for retractions in the research.

Wearing two different hats: Moral decisions may depend on the situation

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:55:55 EDT

An individual's sense of right or wrong may change depending on their activities at the time -- and they may not be aware of their own shifting moral integrity -- according to a new study looking at why people make ethical or unethical decisions.

Biased evidence? Researchers challenge post-marketing drug trial practices

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:25:25 EDT

Bioethicists argue that current research ethics frameworks do not flag drug trials that, while not putting patients at risk, produce biased evidence. As an example, they point to phase IV research -- when pharmaceutical companies test drugs and devices that have been approved for marketing.

Influencing others through gestures: Pitfalls for eyewitnesses

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:55:55 EDT

Gestures made during interviews can influence or even misinform eyewitnesses. In addition eyewitnesses are unlikely to recall the influential gestures being shown to them, new research suggests.

Interrogational torture: Effective or purely sadistic?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:43:43 EDT

While government officials have argued that "enhanced interrogation techniques" are necessary to protect American citizens, the effectiveness of such techniques has been debated. According to a recent study, when torture is used to elicit information, it is likely to be unexpectedly harsh yet ineffective.

Narcissism impairs ethical judgment even among the highly religious, study finds

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:02:02 EDT

Although high levels of narcissism can impair ethical judgment regardless of one's religious orientation or orthodox beliefs, narcissism is more harmful in those who might be expected to be more ethical, according to a new study.

Growing market for human organs exploits poor

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:40:40 EDT

An anthropologist who spent more than a year infiltrating the black market for human kidneys has published the first in-depth study describing the often horrific experiences of poor people who were victims of organ trafficking.

Upper class people more likely to behave unethically

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:54:54 EST

New studies reveal something the well off may not want to hear. Individuals who are relatively high in social class are more likely to engage in a variety of unethical behaviors.

Research ethics: Coercive citation in academic publishing

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:48 EST

Scientists have examined the unethical practices of some journal publications, articulating results from their research to show that some editors coerce authors into adding unnecessary citations to articles in the same journal that is considering publishing the submitted work. Journal editors want to increase the number of times articles within their journals are cited by researchers -- because it raises the journal ranking and is used to make claims of prestige and importance.

In times of scandal, corporations are likely to use others' misconduct to justify their behavior

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:51 EST

Among corporations involved in the 2006 stock-option backdating scandal, those implicated earlier were more likely to dismiss their top executives than those that surfaced later on, according to new research.

More on legal remedies for ghostwriting

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:41:41 EST

In an essay that expands on a previous proposal to use the courts to prosecute those involved in ghostwriting on the basis of it being legal fraud, Xavier Bosch from the University of Barcelona, Spain and colleagues lay out three outline specific areas of legal liability in this week's PLoS Medicine.