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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing - Annotation


Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing is a collaborative piece authored by four writers who elaborates of the occurrence of misconduct in research and writing scientific documents. They examine two common issues related to writing ethics – plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, and authorship – geared toward those within the scientific and medical fields, with particular focus on relaying concepts of inappropriate writing patterns within higher education. The article used statistical data, case studies, and details emphasizing writing standards that are enforced by high-profiled U.S. agencies to further prove credibility to its audience.

Plagiarism, as defined by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology, is identified as the [intentional or unintentional] appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving appropriate credit, including those obtained through confidential review of others’ research proposal and manuscripts (1). One case study illustrating this definition was that of a dissertation student who quoted information from a source, slightly paraphrased the work, and failed to provide citations because he believed the information to be common knowledge (1). The article employs statistical data to enhance information authenticity by including results from a 2000 through 2010 investigation of the rate of plagiarism. It also suggests that there is an increased number of plagiarism cases among international writers, for there are no common or globalized standards regarding such issue. 

In addition, a possible language barrier may make it impossible for those from international countries to paraphrase information obtained through sources (1-2). Self-plagiarism is another form of plagiarism that is considered a less severe ethical breach but one just the same. This is determined when an author copies large portions of an original document and submit it for publication and as a new idea (2). One plausible solution the article recommends is to utilize plagiarism detection software to verify original works before submitting a piece for publication (2).

The second section of the article talks about authorship. Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing describes a case study concerning a junior investigator preparing a case series and review article in collaboration with a student and college (2-3). Authorship is to be determined in terms of hierarchy, information contribution, and integrity. The article includes a bulleted list by Kevin Strange recognizing several forms of authorship abuse, such as intimidation to gain authorship, inappropriate credit to illegitimate contributors, and wrongful denial of authorship (2). Many methods for avoiding misconducts such as these are also documented within the article. Overall, Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing serves as not only an essential resource to writers in the science and medical sectors, but ethical issues and standards discussed transcend across all industries employing professional writers and researchers.

Like Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing, Ethical Issues in Writing and Publishing by Cynthia R. King, PhD, NP, RN, FAAN also delves into to similar attributes of plagiarism and authorship in the medical writing arena. King states, “Awareness of appropriate etiquette is not enough, however, as ethical issues may arise during the publication process, including fraudulent publication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, authorship, and conflict of interest.” Furthermore, King studies writing and publishing regulations of The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and Office of Research Integrity, among other agencies, to further prove that an author loses credibility and his reputation if ethical criteria are not met (2-5). Yet, this article places extensive emphasis on ethical issues centering conflict of interest for authors.

Two major areas Ethical Issues in Writing and Publishing defines are intellectual and financial conflict of interest. Intellectual conflict of interest includes situations in which general knowledge may contradict what is reported (8). King goes on to provide examples of this concept such as nurses/authors incorrectly cite their references or citing references that do not adequately support their points (8). Financial conflict of interest surfaces when ad financial association exists between the author(s) and a commercial company (9). A sample of this type of conflict supplied in the article is when an author may have received consistent financial support from a journal or drug company for their works and its results (9). There are guidelines established to prevent such conflicts and King thoroughly cites references leading readers to more in-depth research on matters presented throughout her article.

Pearson Education, one of the leading providers of educational materials, technologies, and assessment services, further examines such guidelines referenced in Ethical Issues in Writing and Publishing through its semi-interactive Website. Pearson conveys various methods for successfully adhering to ethics and writing. The site breaks down information into easily accessible chunks in terms of links correlating with Plagiarism and Academic Honesty and Guidelines for Citing Others’ Work, among sections. The site contains a wealth of information to be utilized by professionals within their company, but also serves as a resource for you academic writers as well.

The segment titled Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use of Other’s Writings initiate language as a share resource that is borrowed from by writers who need to be aware of the ethical and legal guidelines involving fair use of others’ work – give credit where credit is due (1). The Web page continues with defining copyright laws/intellectual property, the fair use provision plagiarism in the work place and copyright and electronic sources. Copyright and regarding electronic sources is an ongoing topic due to advancements in technology. 

Most agree that electronic texts – e-mails, Web pages, electronic texts, and images – are copyrighted, although laws are in a state of flux at this time (3). The Web page leads readers to acquired deeper meaning of the controversial ethical issue, but one of the most exhilarating offerings promoted by the site is the discussion questions on real-world examples (4-5). Discussions questions consist of problems revolving texts, visual, and informational recycling infringements, which all serves as a semi-interactive basis for anyone requiring more details about ethics and professional and academic writing.

Alicia McBride evaluates the power technical communicators exhibit when making ethical decisions about their work in Toward a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication. McBride perceives moral implications as a major topic of consideration in technical communication journals, with most articles beginning with the assumption that communicators do not have much power to make ethical decisions about their work (1). This article contains excerpts contributed by writers in various technical industries including engineering, and analyzes their notions of taking an ethical stance while effectively providing a service to their company and audience. 

McBride offers ideas on how best practices can be developed in support of Aristotle’s concept of ethos. By applying unified values, an ethical character, and instituting his/her own voice and sense of ethics, writers can determine the ethos essential to convey (3-5). The writer will, additionally, be more prepared to face corporate challenges that may arise, for example, filtering information on a need-to-know basis, which could potentially be harmful to readers (7). The article recognizes writers as encoders and colleagues, demonstrating fairness and ownership in writing (8-10).

All in all, Toward a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication is an extensive researched account of ethical practice in technical writing on a more personal approach. McBride gives many resources, documentation, and corporate viewpoints to elaborately support her observations. The article clearly allows writers to understand their ethical role in interactions with readers and negotiation procedures regarding conflicting perspectives in the field (11).

Similar to topics addressed in Toward a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication, blogger and freelance writer Jennifer Mattern explains an experience she encountered that led her to choose her reputation and professional ethics above financial gain. Why I Gave up an $18k Writing Gig over Professional Ethics, Mattern tells how corporate reconstruction initiated changes to one of the Web sites she writes for made her uncomfortable (1). Keyword targeting, obscenely repetition, and other modifications made were questionable but there was nothing she could do about it (1-2).

The article continues by notifying writers of techniques to employ if faced with ethical challenges. “My ethical standards don’t have to be the same as yours,” Mattern insisted, which marketed her credibility on the subject (2). Her insight depicted the fluidity of professional and personal ethics. Following the content, readers posted comments and highlights from their professional experiences, along with alternatives for handling particular situations that places a writer’s ethics on the line.

The common theme among all articles cited is that writers must be professionally and personally responsible for their writings, liability in terms of legal compliance and reputation, and individual belief systems to become and remain successful professional writers. Each document observes pressures writers face and the policies by which they must adhere. They resort to using statistical data, researched information, and authentic resources to build upon each idea presented, and provide the insightful information for novice and seasoned writers across the professional sphere.


References

Carve, Jane D., Ben Dellva, Patricia J. Emmanuel, and Ritu Parchure. “Ethical Considerations in Scientific Writing.” U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Web. Jul-Dec 2011: 124-128. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195176/

“Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use of Other’s’ Writing.” Pearson Education. Web. 2005. http://wps.pearsoncustom.com/pls_1256647969_pwo/217/55692/14257259.cw/index.html#electronic

King, Cynthia. “Ethical Issues in Writing and Publishing.” Oncology Nursing Society. Web. http://www.ons.org/Publications/CJON/AuthorInfo/WritingSupp/Ethics
  
Mattern, Jennifer. “Why I Gave up an $18k Writing Gig Over Professional Ethics.” All Freelance Writing.  All Freelance Writing. Web. 18 Sept, 2012.
  
McBride, Alicia. “Towards a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication.” Orange Journal. Web. 10 Apr, 2005. http://orange.eserver.org/issues/3-2/mcbride.html




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