Panels Look for Common Ground

Abstract

Efforts are heating up to come up with a governmentwide definition of scientific misconduct. Last week a committee of government research officials began what they hope will be a 3-month effort to draft a definition of research misconduct and guidelines that would apply to all agencies, and next month a working group at the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to recommend misconduct policies for the department. In the meantime, the National Academy of Sciences has stepped into the fray with a letter harshly critical of some of the proposals being discussed.