Scientific Misconduct

The good behavior of scientists might seem remote from the concerns of the physician, but the practice of medicine is based on science, which means that it is grounded on the integrity of the biomedical research community, and if medical editors unwittingly publish fraudulent work in journals, reputations are tarnished.

Abstract

The good behavior of scientists might seem remote from the concerns of the physician. But the practice of medicine is based on science, which means that it is grounded on the integrity of the biomedical research community. For that reason alone, the matter would deserve our attention, but in addition, many scientists have medical degrees. We expect those scientist-physicians to share the high standards of the medical profession, and when they do not, the profession is damaged in the eyes of the public. Finally, if medical editors unwittingly publish fraudulent work in journals, as happens from time to time, reputations are tarnished. It is for these reasons that we are all involved in the debate over what has come to be called "scientific misconduct," and whyJAMAis publishing the article by Dresser in this issue.1 Few medical articles are so uniquely important that patients would suffer were the