We rely on professors and teachers to provide us with accurate information; we rely on physicians to remain up-to-date in their fields.  The professor who does no research or who does not keep up with the research of others in her field has shirked responsibility to others.  The physician who fails to remain current regarding the appropriate use of medicines and treatments has put the lives of patients at risk.  The health professional who violates the privacy of a patient’s records may create conditions in which the patient is disadvantaged in financial, personal, and professional realms.  These, and many other examples of misconduct with respect to information, are instances of the behavior of others whose actions not only reflect upon themselves and their characters, but also have a sometimes dramatic effect on those who are in some way affected by them.

This blog’s purpose is to provide a forum for discussion and dessimination of reliable information regarding academic and research ethics.  Topics may range from instances of cheating and plagiarism in academic realms to professional misconduct in education and science — and beyond.

I hope that contributors to this site will find its contents useful and thought-provoking.  The site came into existence on February 23, 2008 and it will take some time to build it into what I hope will become a research and teaching database regarding academic and research ethics.