Customer Reviews

On Being a Scientist

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This well-written primer grounds both neophyte and experienced scientist in the culture of Western science as it is today. It explores such topics as values in science, conflicts of interest, assigning of credit, and authorship conventions, meanwhile managing to shed useful light on a whole range of other topics. I would recommend this book to any scientist, science student, or person interested in pursuing the sciences. "On Being a Scientist" fosters interest in the sciences and builds a foundation upon which to become a more informed, responsible, and productive researcher. Additionally, this text could benefit educators, policy-makers, and nonscientists by giving them a window into the pressures and experiences associated with life in the scientific realm.

Without being discouraging or unrealistically sanguine, this concise document lays out the conventions, factors, and shifts of perspective that scientists today need to know about both regarding behavioral expectations within the disciplines and the roles of science and scientist in the public domain. Subtler points of a largely unspoken scientific etiquette are also elaborated, and knowledge of these conventions and expectations can go a long way toward preventing harmful mistakes of omission, misunderstandings, and hard feelings among scientists, colleagues, and student researchers.

Ethically challenging case studies at the end of each section stimulate reflection and discussion on ethical decisions that can be especially fruitful in science or ethics of science courses. In relatively few pages, this book plants a broad spread of ideas and perspectives in the developing scientists' mind. Accounts of scientists' responses to potentially awkward or unethical situations are helpful and extend the range of possible approaches today's scientists might take given similar dilemmas (i.e. credit for pulsars).

Traditional ideas and newer ones meld together for clear, often insightful outcomes. For example, an early chapter plainly states: "Citations are part of the reward system of science." That fact and the importance of reputation have long been a reality in scientific circles. On the other end of the spectrum, one the closing chapters alludes to the limits of science in forming public policies: "But science offers only one window on human experience. While upholding the honor of their profession, scientists must seek to avoid putting scientific knowledge on a pedestal above knowledge obtained through other means." This is definitely a view that has only more recently been acknowledged. Kudos to the National Academy of Sciences for an effective, well-rounded essay on science, scientists, and responsible conduct!

This book is required for a graduate program I'm in, and it lives up to the title.

If you don't need a paper version, you should know that this publication is also available as a free PDF from the National Academy Press.

The book was brief, to the point and helpful in explaining some of the contemporary ethical questions involved in writing a research article or paper, especially when co-authors are involved. It could be used as a textbook for a class because each section included ethical questions for debate.

This is a good introduction into the ethical demands of conducting scientific research. We read this our first year of graduate school and I recommend it to other graduate students and practicing scientists.