Ethics in science: Are we losing the moral high ground?

Faisal M Sanai
Associate Editor,
Saudi J Gastroenterol 2008;14:107-8


In the competitive world of academia, a person's worth is often ostensibly gauged by one's scientific contribution, wherein the 'article count' has become the simplistic measure of this contribution. The number and frequency of publications reflect an academic's stature in the scientific community and hence the race to publish and increase this 'article count' has become an end unto itself. Sadly though, the overriding desire to publish sometimes defeats the very purpose of scientific contribution as, not unsurprisingly, even the learned may cheat.>>>

What are the consequences of scientific misconduct?

Yun Xie

What happens after a scientist has been found guilty of misconduct such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or fabrication of results? Does a guilty verdict mean permanent exile from the scientific community, or is there room for forgiveness? >>>

Editorial Announcement: Withdrawal of Chin. Phys. Lett. 24 (2007) 355

CHIN.PHYS.LETT.
Vol. 25, No. 8 (2008) 3094

This paper was submitted on 13 October 2006 and appeared in the February issue of 2007 in Chinese Physics Letters. Later it appeared also as arXiv: grqc/0704.0525 in April 2007.

As noted recently by the arXiv administrator, this paper plagiarized an earlier arXiv paper (grqc/0410004) by M. Sharif and T. Fatima, which also appeared in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 20 (2005) 4309, and another arXiv paper (gr-qc/0603075) by R. M. Gad.

This article by S. Aygun et al. should not have been submitted for publication owing to such substantial replication of earlier papers. Chinese Physics Letters hereby declares the withdrawal of this paper ‘On the Energy–Momentum Problem in Static Einstein Universe’ by S. Aygun, I. Tarhan, and H. Baysal published in Chinese Physics Letters 24 (2007) 355

It is unfortunate that this plagiarism was not detected before going to press. I apologize to the readers of Chinese Physics Letters and to Dr M. Sharif, Dr T. Fatima, and Dr R. M. Gad for such an oversight.

Editor: ZHU Bang-Fen