开卷有益----On being a scientist
http://www.reflexives-lpr.org/webadmin/documents/On_being_a_scientist.pdf
以前早就读过美国科学院编写的On being a scientist: responsible conduct in research (second edition)，网上也有下载的。现在花了五块美金买了一本，再次阅读。这本书的特点是语言正宗，里面讲的道理具有普遍性，更有参考价值，而不是纯粹讲小道新闻。读这本20多页的小册子，仿佛是在读一篇综述，很快就读完了。这本小册子主要讲的是科学伦理道德，它分别介绍了很多科学中的术语。这本书的缺点是相对比较短，很多东西没有展开讲，适合做小组讨论会的提纲，每次讨论针对某一个专题。本书提纲如下：
1. 引言
2. 科学的社会基础
3. 实验技术和数据处理
4. 科学的价值
5. 兴趣/利益的冲突
6. 发表和开放性
7. 功劳的分配
8. 确定谁能是作者的实践
9. 科学中的错误和失误
10. 科学中的不端行为
11. 怎么对待科学中的不伦理行为
12. 社会中的科学家
其中引言部分的前面四段写了科研的欢乐和痛苦，写得很好："The geneticist Barbara McClintock once said of her research, 'I was just so interested in what I was doing I could hardly wait to get up in the morning and get at it. One of my friends, a geneticist, said I was a child, because only children can't wait to get up in the morning to get at what they want to do.'
Anyone who has experienced the childlike wonder evoked by observing or understanding something that no one has ever observed or understood before will recognize McClintock's enthusiasm. The pursuit of that experience is one of the forces that keep researc hers rooted to their laboratory benches, climbing through the undergrowth of a sweltering jungle, or following the threads of a difficult theoretical problem. To succeed in research is a personal triumph that earns and deserves individual recognition. But it is also a communal achievement, for in learning something new the discoverer both draws on and contributes to the body of knowledge held in common by all scientists.
Scientific research offers many other satisfactions in addition to the exhilaration of discovery. Researchers have the opportunity to associate with colleagues who have made important contributions to human knowledge, with peers who think deeply and care passionately about subjects of common interest, and with students who can be counted on to challenge assumptions. With many important developments occurring in areas where disciplines overlap, scientists have many opportunities to work with different people, explore new fields, and broaden their expertise. Researchers often have considerable freedom both in choosing what to investigate and in deciding how to org anize their professional and personal lives. They are part of a community based on ideals of trust and freedom, where hard work and achievement are recognized as deserving the highest rewards. And their work can have a direct and immediate impact on socie ty, which ensures that the public will have an interest in the findings and implications of research.
Research can entail frustrations and disappointments as well as satisfactions. An experiment may fail because of poor design, technical complications, or the sheer intractability of nature. A favored hypothesis may turn out to be incorrect after consuming months of effort. Colleagues may disagree over the validity of experimental data, the interpretation of results, or credit for work done. Difficulties such as these are virtually impossible to avoid in science. They can strain the composure of the beginn ing and senior scientist alike. Yet struggling with them can also be a spur to important progress."
这本书里面有很多发人深思的东西。（1）比如里面介绍了发表文章和公开性。科学本来应该是最终公开的，即发表成文的，但是有的人把未发表的结果与人分享，造成别人发表了类似的东西。说得太好了！我的观点就是没有发表的东西最好不要告诉别人，最怕别人拿了我未发表的数据当做他自己的数据去到处宣传。（2）这里面讲了作者名单确定的事情。它出了一个思考题：一个老师带两个学生做类似实验，老师总希望把两篇文章合在一起写，发篇惊天动地的文章，但是两个学生希望分开写，这篇你第一作者，那篇我第一作者，于是就陷入困境之中。（3）里面说到了科学的价值：科学家的价值观决定了怎么解释数据，决定了要研究什么问题，决定了什么时候结束实验，决定了用什么方式和别人合作并交换信息。说的太好了！有时侯我的价值观决定了我认为这个东西没用，老板的价值观认为这个点子有用，这就是科学价值观的区别。（4）说了兴趣/利益的冲突。好比一个教授又当教授，又当自己公司的老板，生产一种新药。但是他在大学里的研究发现这种新药有致癌作用，那么，他应该不应该发表自己的科研论文指出自己公司生产的新药没用甚至有害呢？再比如，一个科学家审稿，发现同行抢先研究了和自己课题类似的东西，得到类似结果，那么他是否能公平地审稿呢？再比如，好比说我发明了一种新型催化剂，尚未发表结果，但是实验室有人把我正在研制中的催化剂拿去做表征，作为另外一篇文章发表。我虽然在自己的文章和别人的文章里都有署名，但是区别在于一篇是第一作者，一篇是后面作者，那么，我愿不愿意让别人首先发表他的表征结果而掩盖了是我首先发明催化剂的事实？（5）这里面说到分享已经发表的研究材料的问题。就是说，当你确定了某种物质的单晶结构，发表了文章以后，别人发信要求提供原始数据和样品，你应该提供。但是这完全是灰色地带，没有人能强迫你提供，尤其是有的时候仪器非常笨重，或者需要大量的人力和物力来合成这种物质。凭什么给你提供样品？现在有这种情况：提供了样品，可以挂名字的。但是我个人并不欣赏这种，因为当然要主要做好自己的工作，有自己的拳头产品，而不是靠到处化缘。首先要问自己：我在这篇文章里面起到什么作用？有什么智力贡献？仅仅是提供了个简单的样品还是怎么的？名字挂在后面的文章最好还是不要发，当作学雷峰把样品送给别人好了。搜索更多相关主题的帖子:
scientist 开卷有益 美国 正宗 conduct
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