Unesco's Global Ethics Observatory

Publication ethics from the perspective of PhD students of health sciences: a limited experience

Publication ethics, an important subtopic of science ethics, deals with determination of the misconducts of science in performing research or in the dissemination of ideas, data and products. Science, the main features of which are secure, reliable and ethically obtained data, plays a major role in shaping the society. As long as science maintains its quality by being based on reliable and ethically obtained data, it will be possible to maintain its role in shaping the society. This article is devoted to the presentation of opinions of PhD candidate students in health sciences in Ankara concerning publication ethics. The data obtained from 143 PhD students from the fields of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary reveal limited but unique experiences. It also shows that plagiarism is one of the worst issues in the publication ethics from the perspective of these young academics.

Assisting countries in establishing national bioethics committees: UNESCO's Assisting Bioethics Committees project

The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights adopted by UNESCO in 2005 advocates for the establishment of independent, multidisciplinary, and pluralist ethics committees at national, regional, local, or institutional levels. The purpose of these committees is (a) to evaluate the relevant ethical, legal, scientific, and social issues related to research involving human beings; (b) to provide advice on ethical problems in clinical settings; (c) to assess scientific and technological development, formulate recommendations, and contribute to the preparation of guidelines; and (d) to foster debate, education, and public awareness of and engagement in bioethics (Article 19). Already in the very first draft of the Declaration the need to promote and establish national bioethics committees was mentioned. Although the text was gradually elaborated, the same basic idea has been preserved throughout the process of drafting, negotiating, and adopting the text.

Using cases with contrary facts to illustrate and facilitate ethical analysis

There has been increasing interest in developing practical, non-theoretical tools for analyzing ethical problems in public health, biomedicine, and other scientific disciplines so that professionals can make and justify ethical decisions in their own research or practice. Tools for ethical decisionmaking, together with case studies on ethics, are often used in graduate education programs and in continuing professional education. Students can benefit from opportunities to further develop their analytical skills, to recognize ethical issues, and to develop their moral sensitivity. One practical approach for illustrating and facilitating ethical analysis uses cases with contrary facts and circumstances, an approach which complements rather than replaces theoretical approaches to moral reasoning. Cases with contrary facts and circumstances are presented in two or more alternative ways so that the facts, circumstances, or framing of one version runs counter to that of the other version (s). Cases with contrary facts, together with practical steps for identifying and analyzing ethical issues, are likely to be useful tools for illustrating and facilitating ethics analysis and stimulating the moral imagination.