Abstract
In this paper, we empirically explore some manifestations of norms for the conduct of science. We focus on scientific research ethics and report survey results from 606 scientists who received funding in 1993 and 1994 from the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Biology Directorate of the National Science Foundation. We also report results for 91 administrators charged with overseeing research integrity at the scientists’ research institutions. Both groups of respondents were presented with a set of scenarios, designed by fractional factorial methods, describing different kinds of scientific conduct that in the eyes of some would likely be unethical. Respondents then were asked to evaluate each of these scenarios for how unethical the behavior might be and what kinds of sanctions might be appropriate. We use the responses to consider the nature of consensus around norms related to the practice of science and in particular, similarities and differences between scientists and science administrators. Implications for policy are also discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Merton, R.K (1973) The Normative Structure of Science, in: The Sociology of Science, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Miller, D.J. and Herson, M. (eds.) (1992) Research Fraud in the Behavior and Biomedical Sciences: Panel on Scientific Responsibility and the Conduct of Research. New York: John Wiley.
National Academy of Sciences. (1995) On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Hamilton, D.P. (1992) In the Trenches: Doubts About Scientific Integrity, Science 225: 1636.
Kaiser, J. (1995) Commission Proposes New Definition of Misconduct, Science 269: 1811.
Kirk, R.E. (1982) Experimental Design (Second Edition), chapter 13, Brooks/Cole, New York.
Rossi P.H and Nock, S.L. (1982) Measuring Social Judgements: A Factorial Survey Approach, Sage Publications, Newbury Park.
Wenger, N.S., Korenman, S.G., Berk, R.A., and Liu, H.H., (1998) Reporting Unethical Research Behavior, Academic Medicine 73: 1187–1194.
Rossi, P.H., and Berk, R.A. (1985) Varieties of Normative consensus, American Sociological Review 50: 333–346.
Rossi, P.H. and Berk R.A., (1997) Just Punishments: Federal Guidelines and Public Views Compared, Aldine de Gruyter, New York.
Coleman, J.S (1990) Foundations Of Social Theory, Harvard Press, Cambridge MA.
Meares, T.L. and Kahan, D.M. (1998) Law and (Norms of) Order in the Inner City, Law & Society Review 32: 805–838.
Benaquito, L. and Freed, P.J. (1996) The Myth of Intimate Lawlessness: The Perceived Contradiction between Self and Other in Inmates’ Support for Criminal Justice Sanctioning Norms, Law & Society Review 30: 481–512.
Sampson, R.J. and Bartusch, D.J. (1998) Legal Cynicism and (subcultural?) Tolerance of Deviance: The Neighborhood Context of Racial Differences, Law & Society Review 32: 777–804.
Paternoster, R. and Simpson, S. (1996) Sanction Threats and Appeals to Morality: Testing a Rational Choice Model of Corporate Crime, Law & Society Review 30: 549–584.
Kuperan K. and Sutinen, J.G (1998) Blue Water Crime: Deterrence, Legitimacy and Compliance in Fisheries, Law & Society Review 32: 309–338.
Hamilton, D. (1992) In the Trenches, Doubts about Scientific Integrity, Science 255: 1636.
Kalichman, M and Friedman, P.J. (1992) A Study of Biomedical trainees’ Perceptions Concerning Research ethics, Academic Medicine 67: 769–775.
Anderson, M. and Seashore, L.K. (1994) The Graduate Student Experience and Subscription to the Norms of Science, Research on Higher Education 35; 273–299.
Swazey, J.P., Anderson, M.S., and Lewis, K.S. (1993) Ethical Problems in Academic Research, American Scientist 81: 542–553
Korenman, S.G., Berk, R.A., Wenger, N.S., and Lew, V. (1998) Evaluation of the Research Norms of Scientists and Administrators Responsible for Academic Research Integrity, Journal of the American Medical Association 279: 41–47.
Wenger, N.S., Korenman, S.G., Berk, R.A. and Liu, H.H., (1999) Reporting Unethical Research Behavior, Evaluation Review 23: 553–568.
Gigi, A. (1991) Nonlinear Multivariate Analysis, John Wiley, New York: 153–158.
Hox, J.J., Kreft, I.G.G. and Hermkens, P.L.J. (1991) The analysis of Factorial Surveys, Sociological Methods and Research 4: 493–510.
Cleveland, W.S. (1979) Robust locally weighted regression and smoothing scatterplots. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 74: 829–836.
Berk, R.A., Brackman, H., and Lesser, S. (1997) Measure of Justice: An Empirical Study, Changes in the California Penal Code, 1955–1971, Academic Press, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berk, R.A., Korenman, S.G. & Wenger, N.S. Measuring consensus about scientific research norms. SCI ENG ETHICS 6, 315–340 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-000-0035-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-000-0035-x