Angew 2012_The Seven Sins inAcademic Behavior in the NS.pdf

Scientific Best Practice DOI: The Seven Sins in Academic Behavior in the Natural Sciences Wilfred F. van Gunsteren* scientific best practice · scientific misconduct · scientific standards In the high-technology societies of the twenty-first century scientists at academic institutions are often asked to explain ment plex technical issues that are of relevance to modern society and mon man. Members of academia are approached, as they are usually intelligent, highly knowledgeable, and honorable women and men, who are more faithful to scientific facts and truths than to themselves, their family or friends, or anization in society. The role of academics as reliable and truthful messengers can only be maintained if academics are seen to adhere to the basic principles and rules of the academic scientific endeavor. However, with the rapid expansion in both the size and number of academic institutions over the past half century, the likelihood of scientists violating academic principles or espousing nonsense instead of truth is increasing. This is exemplified by the wave of plagiarism in the past decade that has been detected by the use of modern software and the recent case involving a highly publicized claim that particles had been detected moving faster than the speed of light, which was later retracted. While occurrences of deliberate scientific fraud are fort