Research Fraud In The Behavioral And Biomedical Sciences

While there is currently no official consensus as to the extent of fraud or misrepresentation in the sciences, recent estimates suggest that they may occur in as much as 12% of all scientific research conducted in North America. In an age dominated philosophically by the overarching ideal of scientific truth, and in which science plays a central role in virtually every aspect of life, research fraud, in even the minutest degree, can have only dire and far-reaching implications. Nowhere is the seriousness of scientific fraud more evident than in the behavioral and biomedical sciences--those disciplines that have the most obvious and immediate impact upon the physical and psychological health and well-being of both the individual and society. Yet, traditionally, students and practitioners in those fields have received, at best, minimal exposure to the ethical issues involved in the research endeavor. This book seeks to rectify that situation. Research Fraud in the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences brings together contributions by specialists in psychology, medicine, law, and philosophy. Over the course of twelve chapters, those specialists treat topics as diverse as the history of research fraud, the moral and ethical philosophical aspects of empirical science, the legal ramifications of fraud, the psychology of people who commit fraud and the institutional and career pressures (publish or perish, etc.) that often compel them to do so, and the influence of the review process used by professional journals and review boards. Also included are several chapters covering recent case histories of alleged fraud in biomedical and social science research. In the final chapters of Research FraudIn the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences, the editors explore, in great detail, options for future prevention of research fraud. A comprehensive scholarly treatment of research fraud in the behavioral and biomedical sciences, this fascinating and enlightening book is essential reading for professionals in psychology, psychiatry, medicine, and related fields, and all those in the social sciences, as well as upper-level students in these disciplines.