Scientific Ethics Research Articles

Academic integrity of applicants: curriculum and examination of scientific papers in the context of counteraction to academic plagiarism

As you know, the principles of academic culture and integrity in the current state of university education in Ukraine are often simply perceived as an abstract, but necessary for the European integration of education postulate. Codes of ethics and regulations on combating academic plagiarism are created on the basis of recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science, regulate the activities of employees and students in the context of prevention and detection of falsifications, violations of academic integrity, including academic plagiarism. The establishment of the principles of academic culture and integrity in educational institutions is a necessary prerequisite for building a strong civic culture in society. Expert evaluation of scientific papers, including anti-plagiarism, in our opinion is an important prerequisite for the adequacy of complex scientific topics and objectifies the overall assessment of the quality of presentation of research results, including dissertations,monographs, manuals, articles and abstracts. The aim of the work was to improve measures to combat academic dishonesty and plagiarismbased on the analysis of current legislation, orders and regulations of Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University, creation and implementation of a new discipline for PhD students to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities. based on the topics of meaningful modules, created taking into account the experience of examination of scientific and educational works. In total for the three-year period (2018-2020) 5992 inspections were carried out and violations of academic integrity were confirmed in 611 works, which was the reason for their rejection. Algorithmic logical functional sequence of anti-plagiarism examination of dissertations and abstracts with analysis of the percentage of uniqueness of the text by the method of shingles with optimized settings was used to conduct the initial examination of dissertations to detect academic plagiarism. Deep search parameters and deep verification by Unichek, Plagiarism Detector Pro v. 1092”, etc. with further maternity check and establishment of the percentage of uniqueness of the text by the freely accessible program “AdvegoPlagiatus”. Based on the analysisof the causes, trends and spread of academic plagiarism in the university community for applicants and graduate students was created and implemented the discipline “Information support, academic integrity and research ethics” which is aimed at gaining analytical competencies, flexible skills “soft skills”. necessary during the planning and implementation of dissertation research and ensuring adequate communication in the scientific community. It consists of three content modules “Academic Integrity and Anti-Plagiarism”, “Scientific Ethics”, “Information Technology and Patent and Literary Support of Research Papers”. Lectures, seminars and topics of independent work are aimed at acquiring analytical competencies, flexible skills “soft skills” needed during the planning and implementation of dissertation research and ensuring adequate communication in the scientific community, the formation of graduate students’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills and skills in compliance with ethical and moral and legal principles in the planning and implementation of scientific research with human participation and with the use of laboratory animals, obtaining by graduate students and applicants knowledge of research activities and acquisition of skills of independent research, features of patent research and preparation of reporting documentation. Postgraduate students acquire knowledge of current legislation on academic integrity and anti-plagiarism; ethical aspects of scientist behavior and communication; research planning, organization and tactics strategies; liability for breach of academic integrity; basics of statistical conclusion, counteraction to conflicts of interest, elimination of risk factors and errors in ensuring academic integrity, which determines the social and professional mobility of research and teaching staff, promotes diversification of higher education, increasing the value of scientific knowledge and professional experience. Prospects for further research are to improve algorithms for detecting academic plagiarism and scientific falsifications, optimizing measures to prevent anddetect manifestations of academic dishonesty.

The Challenges of Big Data for Research Ethics Committees: A Qualitative Swiss Study.

Big data trends in health research challenge the oversight mechanism of the Research Ethics Committees (RECs). The traditional standards of research quality and the mandate of RECs illuminate deficits in facing the computational complexity, methodological novelty, and limited auditability of these approaches. To better understand the challenges facing RECs, we explored the perspectives and attitudes of the members of the seven Swiss Cantonal RECs via semi-structured qualitative interviews. Our interviews reveal limited experience among REC members with the review of big data research, insufficient expertise in data science, and uncertainty about how to mitigate big data research risks. Nonetheless, RECs could strengthen their oversight by training in data science and big data ethics, complementing their role with external experts and ad hoc boards, and introducing precise shared practices.

Effects of attentional bias modification on chronic low back pain in older outpatients: A randomized crossover trial (pilot study).

In the present study, the effect of attentional bias modification (ABM) on older outpatients, with chronic low back pain, was examined. This was a single-center, randomized, single-blinded, crossover trial and patients were randomly divided in a 1:1 allocation ratio into two groups: an ABM Leading group and an ABM Trailing group. Forty-three outpatients with chronic low back pain participated. Patients were evaluated four times and the treatments were ABM + Normal intervention or Normal intervention only. Outcome measures included pain intensity on the Numerical Rating Scale, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Somatic Symptom Scale-8, and EuroQol 5 Dimension-3 levels questionnaire. In addition, we performed the 30-second Chair-Stand test and the Timed Up & Go test for physical function evaluations. There was no change in pain intensity due to ABM. However, the total Pain Catastrophizing Scale score was significantly decreased, and the EuroQol 5 Dimension-3 levels questionnaire and 30-second chair-stand test were significantly improved (P <.05). The Health Science Ethics Committee, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University (permit number: 17060861), and the clinical trial was registered with UMIN (UMIN000029424).

Cultivating Moral Attention: a Virtue-Oriented Approach to Responsible Data Science in Healthcare

In the past few years, the ethical ramifications of AI technologies (in particular data science) have been at the center of intense debates. Considerable attention has been devoted to understanding how a morally responsible practice of data science can be promoted and which values have to shape it. In this context, ethics and moral responsibility have been mainly conceptualized as compliance to widely shared principles. However, several scholars have highlighted the limitations of such a principled approach. Drawing from microethics and the virtue theory tradition, in this paper, we formulate a different approach to ethics in data science which is based on a different conception of “being ethical” and, ultimately, of what it means to promote a morally responsible data science. First, we develop the idea that, rather than only compliance, ethical decision-making consists in using certain moral abilities (e.g., virtues), which are cultivated by practicing and exercising them in the data science process. An aspect of virtue development that we discuss here is moral attention, which is the ability of data scientists to identify the ethical relevance of their own technical decisions in data science activities. Next, by elaborating on the capability approach, we define a technical act as ethically relevant when it impacts one or more of the basic human capabilities of data subjects. Therefore, rather than “applying ethics” (which can be mindless), data scientists should cultivate ethics as a form of reflection on how technical choices and ethical impacts shape one another. Finally, we show how this microethical framework concretely works, by dissecting the ethical dimension of the technical procedures involved in data understanding and preparation of electronic health records.

Conceiving Parents, Consolidating the State: Emphasis and Erasure in the Governance of Marginal Parenthoods in Brazil

AbstractThis article examines the combination of moral regimes and bureaucratic materialities in the adoption procedures through which the Brazilian government attempts to bring adoptive parenthood under state surveillance. I argue that, faced with ambiguous laws that do not consistently outlaw informal practices, Brazil's juvenile courts rely on technological means to shore up their claim to exclusive authority over humanitarian child placements. Lists, statistics, and graphs take on central meaning in a realm that conveys the impression of transparency, technical expertise, and scientific ethics. Insistence on using these artifacts not only transmutes political options into moral certainties but also—by highlighting certain behaviors while imposing silence on others—creates zones of legal ambiguity. This allows the state's authority to remain apparently intact despite the widespread existence of practices outside the norms of orthodox courthouse procedures.

Book Review: Science and Christian Ethics by Paul Scherz

Book Review: <i>Science and Christian Ethics</i> by Paul Scherz

Ansvarlig forskningspraksis, forskningsfrihed og uvildighed

The scope of rules on scientific ethics, responsible research practice, etc. has grown steadily over recent decades. These are mostly about what researchers should not and what they should do. In this article, I will look at the principles from a different perspective: Freedom of research is part of good scientific practice. Violating research freedom is detrimental to research. First, I outline very briefly what is meant by professions. Next follows an account of what is generally understood by research freedom. The thesis is that responsible research practice holds a tension between restrictions and freedom.

Assessing policies for the implementation of new technological interventions to combat COVID-19

The second panelist will discuss policy and politics, incl. the role expert bodies and instruments of the European Union, assessing the role of the European Commission and the exchange frameworks with Member-States. In the context of elaboration on how optimal strategies for assessing the impact of new health technology and for evidence-informed policymaking, the role the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) will be discussed in more detail, as the independent expert group and multi-disciplinary body appointed by the President of the European Commission to advises on all policies where ethical, societal and fundamental rights issues intersect with the development of science and new technologies. Furthermore, broad long-term implications for globalisation and the relation of the EU to third countries will be examined, as will the significance of such measures for the European Union's Global Health Agenda, and the implications for future decision-making and policies in developing countries too.

Questioning the Assumptions, Sustainability and Ethics of Endless Economic Growth

This article questions the assumptions, sustainability and ethics of endless economic growth on the basis of environmental science, ecological economics and ecological ethics. It considers the impossibility and unsustainability of endless physical growth on a finite planet. It considers the indicators of environmental degradation (all increasing) and argues that society’s addiction to endless growth is irresponsible. It discusses the key problem of denial, and how this blocks us from finding workable solutions. It discusses how in theory GDP could continue to grow modestly in the future if we adopted a steady-state economy where growth was not caused by an expanding population or resource use. However, this model is currently unpopular, with many advocating the green and circular economies that are partial solutions, and which justify ongoing growth through a fantasy of absolute decoupling. I discuss the need for society to change its anthropocentric worldview to one of ecocentrism. I then question whether the UN Sustainable Development Goals are actually ecologically sustainable. I discuss how, when we ignore the problems of an endlessly growing economy, we create significant risk to society. Rather than a focus only on ‘sustainable economic growth’, I suggest it is time to focus centrally on an ecologically sustainable economy and future.

From E.E. to Erna Eltzner: Tokarczuk, Jung, and the Ethics of Care

Abstract This article considers Olga Tokarczuk’s novel E.E. (1995) as dialogic site for a critique of early twentieth-century psychology at the time of its engagement with spiritism. Carl Gustav Jung’s doctoral dissertation, “On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena” (1902) serves as a key intertext. Tokarczuk’s heroine, an adolescent medium, Erna Eltzner (E.E.), fashioned after Jung’s case study, S.W., exemplifies the use of young female patients as research subjects, studied but not listened to. Jung himself is refracted in two distinct characters, each of whom exploits Erna Eltzner as a paradigmatic case for his respective ideological commitment. The novel offers a feminist sendup of paradigms of medical care, medical diagnosis, the ethics of science and the personhood of the patient. It points to a major blind spot in the scientific study of the psyche: patient well-being and treatment. The article takes an ethics-of-care approach to examine sites of empathy in the novel.

Социально-этический феномен ожирения как глобальная проблема

The article discusses the global problem of obesity as a socio-ethical phenomenon in the context of UNESCO’s program on bioethics, the ethics of science and artificial intelligence. The article also explains the stigma of obesity, or, in other words, the discrediting social identity assigned to an overweight person, and describes the consequences of such stigmatization. The author explores the socio-ethical causes of obesity and points out the link between obesity and some of the challenges addressed by the Sustainable Development goals, including hunger and social inequality.

The Effect of Verbatim and Generative Notes Taken by Hand and Keyboard at University Level on Success and Persistence

The lecturing instruction method stands out as the most used education method in university classrooms. Students and researchers have developed study techniques to reduce the disadvantages of this method to increase success at the undergraduate level. The most important, common, and traditional of them is taking note. The verbatim notetaking, which is widely used outside of the lesson, is seen as well as it is also seen that the note takers take it by generating them in their own way. With the development of technology in the notetaking process, it is seen that digital tools have become widespread in addition to the pen. In this study, the effects of generative and verbatim taking notes on success and its persistence were examined. The study group of the study consists of 116 education faculty students studying in Turkish and Social Sciences education programs. Within the scope of the research, demographic information will be presented to the participants in a way that does not violate personal privacy; In the analysis of the opinions, utmost attention was paid to the rules of scientific and research ethics, assuring that the participants will be coded in a way that does not evoke identity information. A pre-experimental study was conducted with four groups of 29 students. The groups made the verbatim and generative note taking with pen and keyboard. The first and second post-tests were applied to measure the success of taking notes during the lesson and its persistence. According to the results of the study, it was determined that taking notes with a pen by the generative method has more positive effects than using the keyboard or taking verbatim notes on both success and persistence.

Analysis of Humanitarian Technologies of Expertises in Solving of Socio-Cultural Dilemmas

Introduction. The aim of the article is to show the socio-philosophical basis of humanitarian expertises and to demonstrate an important role of these technologies in the life of society and the world for solving of current socio-cultural dilemmas. We set ourselves the following tasks: to conduct a socio-philosophical justification of the theoretical foundations of moral expert science, to define three types of humanitarian expertises, to identify the range of their application, to show the significance of their application for society and for professional organizations.Methodology and sources. This work methodologically is based on a socio-philosophical analysis of the works of well-known sociologists and philosophers of the ХХ–XXI centuries who created the foundation for humanitarian expertises as well as on a comparative analysis of the three expertises with the identification of their deferential characteristics.Results and discussion. Thanks to the developed methods and methodologies in sociology, cultural studies, etc., various new approaches were created for the scientific study of the society problems and the consequences of the influence of scientific and technological progress on it. These methods and methodologies which are the basis of humanitarian technologies, allowed us to step over the individual subjectivity and to consider objectively socio-cultural phenomena, based on facts and on the justification of social action. Suggested by Emile Durkheim’s practical sociological method of investigating facts made it possible to combine the forces of specialists in different fields to identify the causes of the appearance of normal and pathological factors and to analyze them. Whereas, M. Weber outlined the methodological foundations of social action with the help of them it is possible to objectively identify the main actions developed by this society. The methods and techniques formed the basis of the humanitarian technologies of three examinations: socio-humanitarian, humanitarian and ethical. There is still no term under which they can be combined so the author’s this article proposed the term – humanitarian. The humanitarian is from the word humanity (humanity), that is, what is inherent in all people including society and its actions. Functional analysis of social and cultural products by Robert Merton and show of ethics micro and macro order by George Ritzer had formed the foundation for modern humanitarian expertises: social humanitarian, humanitarian and ethical.Conclusion. When the role of science in the life of society becomes dominant, it is necessary to have such methodologies with which it will be possible to control the illegal use of scientific achievements, to identify unethical behavior of scientists. The main focus of these expertise is to control the illegal activities of professionals, to protect the interests and health of people.

A dramatized method for teaching undergraduate students responsible research conduct

ABSTRACT Worldwide, undergraduate science and pre-medical students are encouraged to participate in authentic active learning lab work and undergraduate research experiences. Unfortunately, these experiences rarely include training in science or research ethics. Although several governmental and scientific organizations have called for increased training in responsible research conduct, relatively few studies report on the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches. Too often science ethics socialization and training is limited to conversations with individual mentors. This paper describes how viewing an interactive theatrical presentation of several research misconduct scenarios was associated with an increase in first-year students’ self-assessed understanding of the topics addressed: proper treatment of data images, respect for animal protocols, authorship considerations, and plagiarism issues. There was no decrease in self-reported responsible conduct of research (RCR) knowledge for students surveyed 10 weeks, as compared to 2 weeks, after the science ethics presentations. RCR test question scores showed only a slight decrease in correct answers from 2 to 10 weeks. Theatrical presentation is an inexpensive yet engaging approach that provides students with a chance to actively consider the importance of RCR and the complexities of contexts surrounding ethics decisions before starting a research career.

The Problem is Not Monsters: The FRANKENCON Panel on Science and Ethics.

In November of 2019, the University of California Santa Cruz hosted a 3-day interdisciplinary conference to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. A panel of senior researchers convened to discuss the impact of the novel on modern discussions of scientific ethics. The panel featured Nandini Bhattacharya, George Blumenthal, Michael M. Chemers, David Haussler, and Jenny Reardon. In the process, the panelists acted as the Institutional Review Board for a proposal from Victor Frankenstein himself.

Expanding Conflicts of Interest in Public Health Research

Expanding Conflicts of Interest in Public Health Research

Kim był Eduard Pernkopf i jaka jest prawda o jego atlasie anatomicznym?

Eduard Pernkopf (1888-1955) was an Austrian professor of anatomy who later served as a dean of the medical school and rector of the University of Vienna. Pernkopf himself joined the Nazi Party’s foreign organization in 1933. He is best known for his seven-volume anatomical atlas Topographical Anatomy of Man (“Topographische Anatomie des Menschen, Lehrbuch und Atlas der regionar-stratigraphischen Praparation”) often colloquially known as the Pernkopf atlas or just “Pernkopf”. It is considered a scientific and artistic masterpiece. It has been in recent years found that Pernkopf and the artists working for him: Erich Lepier, Ludwig Schrott, Karl Endtresser and Franz Batke used executed political prisoners as their subjects. Using a special treatment of the paper used for watercolor they created the images that look like living tissue in print. But they also used the Nazi symbols in their work for the atlas. In 1995 Pernkopf and his atlas came into the focus of a controversy in scientific ethics following the publication of a paper by Professor Edzard Ernst revealed that the subject bodies may have in some cases been those of executed prisoners and children killed in a Viennese hospital. A year later Dr. Howard Israel discovered many of the Nazi symbols in the artists’ signatures. Since then physicians have discussed whether it is ethical to use the atlas. This resulted in the establishment of the Senatorial Project of the University of Vienna in 1997. As a result, the atlas’ publisher directed that an insert noting this possibility be mailed to all libraries holding the atlas, and stopped printing new copies.

RESEARCH ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS’ EXERCISE IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

ABSTRACT Introduction: The essence of sustainable development is ecological civilization. The entire modern development, including sports in colleges and universities, is built based on resource conservation, enhanced environmental support capabilities, and a virtuous ecological environment cycle to achieve sustainable economic and social development. Objective: Looking at the development history of sports in Chinese colleges and universities for more than 50 years, there have been many successful experiences in human resource development, and there are also many problems that need to be solved. Methods: The author took 442 people from 4 provinces as the survey object, researched and discussed the evaluation indicators of the sustainable development of sports in colleges and universities. After factor analysis and professional theoretical research, a total of 15 indicators in 5 categories were established: science and technology, moral education, system Standard category, economic, competitive development category, external input category, and the coach training system category that eliminates “inbreeding.” Results: The author found in the research that both sports and non-sports families in China are unwilling to engage in sports and college sports for their children. The main reasons are traditional ideological issues, sports social status issues, and athletes’ education issues. Among them, coaches, the “inbreeding” training system is one of the main reasons that affect the sports talent resources of colleges and universities in China. Conclusions: There can be at least five types of evaluation indicators for the sustainable development of sports in Chinese colleges and universities: science and technology and ethics education, institutional norms, economic and competitive development, external investment, and a coach training system that eliminates inbreeding. The income of sports families is generally lower than that of non-sports families, and their education level is also lower. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

Ethics, Experimentalism, and Hybrid Purpose: Navigating Science and the Military in Star Trek: Discovery

Abstract In “Context Is for Kings,” “The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry,” and “Choose Your Pain,” three season one episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, the hybrid nature of Starfleet becomes apparent when its scientists come into conflict with its soldiers. The order to treat a potentially sentient tardigrade-like creature as a military resource, subject to what is essentially slavery and vivisection, makes scientific ethics subject to strategic value. In each episode, a separate pairing between scientist and soldier develops, which both critiques the competing philosophies and acts as a metaphor for historical conflicts of this kind.

Culturology: conceptual and categorical framework in the research process logic

The purpose of the article is to analyze the conditions and stages in the formation of the conceptual-categorical framework of cultural sciences. The methodology is based on general scientific approaches such as terminological and systematic. The purpose and objectives of the publication define the use of such research methods as analysis, synthesis, generalization, which made it possible to clarify the meaning of a number of concepts and terms. Scientific Novelty. The degree of scientific research of the topic is concentrated in identifying the problems of interaction between the conceptual and categorical frameworks in various scientific fields, namely, history, philosophy, philology, aesthetics, ethics, art history, and logic, to shape up the research space. We conceptualize the idea of "formal logical structures": that is not a mechanical combination of concepts or categories, but developing a new system adapted to solving theoretical problems of cultural studies. The question about the validity of the ―borrowing‖ process that allows cultural studies to analyze theoretical problems related to other humanitarian fields is also touched upon. Conclusion. So, among the other Ukrainian human sciences, cultural studies are developing quite actively and dynamically, constantly expanding its research space; its activity and dynamism of the cultural knowledge ―accumulation‖ determine those problems requiring special attention of modern scientists; in particular, the identification of the structural layering of the conceptual and categorical framework of cultural sciences.