Ethics in Science Education, Research and Governance

Increasing number of students and their need for quality education have also resulted in several compromises in the manner in which the admissions to the institutions are made, the manner in which the education is imparted and also the manner in which the examination and evaluations are conducted. At each stage unethical practices abound. In research arena, there are issues of plagiarism, predatory journals, manufacture of data without experiment, ghost or guest authorship to issues of use of money as a surrogate for quality, have all led to erosion of values and ethical standards. Similar issues have arisen in Science Governance and in fair treatment and equal opportunity in respect of gender biases. Ethics, in the manner in which scientific information is shared with the stake holders needs much discussion. All such unethical practices are rooted in the simple desire for short cuts to success and the innate aspiration of the less meritorious to rise higher in one’s profession. Truth, which is the goal of Science, stands totally compromised.