Saving science from the scientists. 2.

The second and final part of ‘Saving Science from the Scientists’ looks into some of the sociological angles of research that make cutting corners attractive to scientists: peer review; journal spaces; competition for funding; research grants. The Nuffield Council of Bioethics, a committee for investigations into research ethics within science, have challenged the benefits of a competitive market within science. Professor Ottoline Leyser talks about the risks associated with a career in science, as a discipline with competition as the driving force. Science is analysed as a business, and Stephen Curry shares the statistics for post-graduate students who continue to academia. Professor Sophie Scott talks about social networking and self-marketing when entering the discipline with a PhD. Fraud and misconduct are discussed as products of this environment. Technological developments are working to cap this problem. A water crisis in the Michigan town of Flint, where data fraud was carried out by government scientists, is discussed as evidence of the inadequacies of the construction of scientific knowledge. The H-index, a measurement for citations to measure scholarly success, it is speculated, can cause a lack of scepticism towards one’s own research. Scientific journals are central to the debate and whether the competitive nature of scientific research and publication are damaging the accuracy of research within the field. Dr Ewan Birney shares his thoughts on the lack of data transparency and peer review within the world of scientific publications.