Trade Paperback
293 Pages, 0 x 0 x 0 IN
March 29, 1996
University of California Press
0520205138
9780520205130
From the Publisher
False data published by a psychologist influence policies for
treating the mentally retarded. A Nobel Prize-winning molecular
biologist resigns the presidency of Rockefeller University in the
wake of a scandal involving a co-author accused of fabricating
data. A university investigating committee declares that almost
half the published articles of a promising young radiologist are
fraudulent.
Incidents like these strike at the heart of the scientific
enterprise and shake the confidence of a society accustomed to
thinking of scientists as selfless seekers of truth. Marcel
LaFollette''s long-awaited book gives a penetrating examination of
the world of scientific publishing in which such incidents of
misconduct take place. Because influential scientific journals have
been involved in the controversies, LaFollette focuses on the
fragile "peer review" process--the editorial system of seeking
pre-publication opinions from experts. She addresses the cultural
glorification of science, which, combined with a scientist''s
thirst for achievement, can seem to make cheating worth the danger.
She describes the great risks taken by the accusers--often scholars
of less prestige and power than the accused--whom she calls
"nemesis figures" for their relentless dedication to uncovering
dishonesty.
In sober warning, LaFollette notes that impatient calls from
Congress, journalists, and taxpayers for greater accountability
from scientists have important implications for the entire system
of scientific research and communication.
Provocative and learned, Stealing Into Print is certain to
become the authoritative work on scientific fraud, invaluable to
the scientific community, policy makers, and the general public.
From the Jacket
"Difficult to put down. . . . I have studied these issues for the
better part of a decade and learned from this book not only about
new cases but also about the intersection of law, science, and
government."--Daryl E. Chubin, author of Peerless Science: Peer
Review in United States Science Policy
"Thoughtful, clear, and very well written . . . will be the basis
of how the issues are defined, what the options and their problems
are, and what other features lurk on the horizon."--Lawrence
Badash, University of California, Santa Barbara
About the Author
Marcel LaFollette is Associate Research Professor
of Science and Technology Policy at George Washington University.
Author most recently of Making Science Our Own: Public Images
of Science, 1910-1955 (1990), she is also editor or co-editor
of several books in science studies.