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/
Mattern, Jennifer. “Why I Gave up an $18k Writing Gig Over
Professional Ethics.” All Freelance Writing.
All Freelance Writing. Web. 18 Sept, 2012.
