Integrity, ethics, peer review Flashcards
Who is a scientist?
Someone who systemically uses research and gathers evidence, makes a hypothesis, and gains and shares knowledge
What is the responsibility of a scientist?
To share the knowledge they gain
What are 5 forms of scientific dissemination for a scientific audience?
- posters
- presentations
- peer-reviewed paper publications
- books
- grant applications + follow-up reports
What are 5 forms of scientific dissemination for the general population?
- news articles
- magazines
- social media
- blogs
- podcasts
What is the gold standard of scientific dissemination?
Peer reviewed journal publications
What are the 4 points that researchers consider when choosing a journal to publish in?
- Has a history of publishing in their topic area
- Good reputation
- If the journal is more niche and focused on a particular topic, or if its more general
- A journal that their target audience will read
What are 5 criteria for choosing a reviewer for a peer review?
- Enough expertise to judge rigorously and fairly
- Blind or double blind review
- Able to give constructive criticism
- No conflicts of interest
- Expectations are reasonable for journal’s standards
What are the 4 recommendations a peer reviewer can make after reviewing a paper?
- Good to publish
- Good to publish with minor revisions
- Major revisions and resubmission
- Rejection if poorly written or major experimental flaws are present
Who makes the final decision in whether a paper gets published?
The editor of the journal
Is a paper finished once it’s published?
No, now it’s been opened to the scrutiny of the broader scientific community
What can happen if errors are detected in published papers?
People can publish letters outlining the mistakes and the authors can fix them. Rebuttals or retractions
Why would a paper be retracted?
Serious issues with the experiments or data, scientific misconduct
Why do more prestigious journals have higher retraction rates?
The journals are more heavily scrutinized, so errors are more likely to be detected
Why is it important to never overemphasize the importance of a single paper?
The accumulation of knowledge is more important. Some evidence can get disputed later when better techniques come around
What is a journal’s impact factor?
The frequency in which the average paper published in that journal has been cited in a year
What effect does a journal’s impact factor have on its reputation?
How people will see the research published in it, and seriously they will take it
What are the criticisms of using impact factors to measure a journal’s reputation?
- It’s a narrow view of scientific value
- A paper may not be cited very much because the topic isn’t that popular
What is predatory publishing?
Journals that you pay to publish your research
What does the order of the authors on a paper mean?
The first author did most of the experimental work. The last author is usually the head of the lab
Why is the number of publications important for a researcher?
Determines if a PhD graduate can get a job, if a junior professor can get a promotion, receiving grants, attracting the attention of Grad and PhD students
What is the publish or perish mindset?
The idea that you have no career if you can’t publish papers
Why is the publish or perish mindset harmful?
Leads to desperation, which then leads to scientific misconduct to just make sure they have a career
