Editor
Pamela Anne Quiroz
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Abstract
Research
on misconduct in science has largely focused on egregious violations
such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. Recent scholarship,
however, calls for greater attention to forms of everyday misconduct and
how scientists navigate ethical ambiguity when they are unable or
unwilling to make formal accusations. Drawing on interview data from 251
physicists and biologists from both elite and non-elite universities
and research institutes in the United States, United Kingdom, and India,
we find that scientists are often reticent or unable to take formal
action against many behaviors they perceive as unethical and
irresponsible. As a result, they resort to informal gossip to warn
colleagues of transgressors. Many express confidence that such
pro-social gossip can serve as a means of social control by tarnishing
the reputations of transgressors. Yet its effectiveness as a form of
social control is limited, particularly when transgressors enjoy higher
status than gossipers. We identify two types and three consequences of
such gossip and assess the effectiveness of gossip as a means of social
control. Finally, we consider the implications of our study for
understanding and decreasing misconduct in science.
- © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
