Journal of Dental Research, Vol 73, 1778-1782, Copyright © 1994 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Ethics in dental research. Publication of research: the ethical dimension
A. Lynch
Ethics in Health Care Associates, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
If science is to achieve its goal, i.e., advancement of human well-being,
the results of scientific research must be made available. When such
results are presented, that presentation must be 'ethical'; it must conform
to recognized standards of honesty, originality, and fairness.
Unfortunately, not all such presentations conform to these standards; the
public and scientific community alike are becoming ever more concerned
about duplication in publication, about illegitimate claims to authorship,
and about misleading use of statistics in presentation of experimental
results. Certain of these 'unethical' practices can be eliminated or
minimized by education, institutional practice, and requirements set by
scientific journals. In the end, however, 'ethical publication' will depend
on the 'ethical investigator'--an individual who has professed dedication
to truth and the well-being of mankind.
