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On Being a Scientist A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition (2009) / Chapter Skim
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The Treatment of Data
Pages 8-11

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From page 8...
... And they introduce information into the scientific record that could cause harm to the broader society, as when the dangers of a medical treatment are understated. This is particularly important in an age in which the Internet allows for an almost uncontrollably fast and extensive spread of information to an increasingly broad audience.
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From page 9...
... Depending on the field, this obligation may require entering data into bound notebooks with sequentially numbered pages using permanent ink, using a computer application with secure data entry fields, identifying when and where work was done, and retaining data for specified lengths of time. In much industrial research and in some academic research, data notebooks need to be signed and dated by a witness on a daily basis.
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From page 10...
... When Deborah and Kamala begin to write up their results to present at a lab meeting, which they know will be the first step in preparing a publication, Kamala suggests dropping two anomalous data points near the horizontal axis from the graph they are preparing. She says that due to their deviation from the theoretical curve, the low data points were obviously caused by the power fluctuations.
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From page 11...
... Examples include repositories established to maintain and distribute astronomical images, protein sequences, archaeological data, cell lines, reagents, and transgenic animals. New issues in the treatment and sharing of data continue to arise as scientific disciplines evolve and new technologies appear.
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Key Terms

  • original data
  • scientific paper
  • power fluctuations
  • scientific journals
  • sharing data

  • data issues
  • scientific papers
  • remaining data
  • archaeological data
  • scientific record

  • providing research
  • unique research
  • misleading data
  • anomalous data
  • entering data

  • data continue
  • data undergo
  • data entry
  • data stored
  • discuss data

  • retaining data
  • secure data
  • uncontrollably fast
  • affected conclusions
  • published experiments

  • extensive analysis
  • require sharing
  • accepted professional
  • professional standards
  • permanent ink


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