My goal was to search for an article that regards unethical research in a field of business. The article I found is titled The Publication of Ethically Uncertain Research: Attitudes and Practices of Journal Editors. Before I read this article, I had not any idea about the restrictions of research in the media. From what I have learned through the article, there are many restrictions in doing so. For instance, the Declaration of Helsinki which safeguards research subjects, informs consent, and minimizes risk.
The article addresses entries in the medical field and says that “both authors and publishers have ethical obligations… reports of experimentation not in accordance with the principles laid down in this declaration should not be accepted for publication”. The writer of this article believes that the ethical practices in the media is understudied and needs to be looked at closer. Journal editors were surveyed on the topic of unethical research. The Editor-in-chief of each of the 2005 Abridged Index Medicus list publishing original research were to complete a survey sent to them by email between September-December 2007.
The editor was very serious about attaining information on this survey because when people did not respond, he went out of his way to contact them and ask them about unethical research. This shows that ethically uncertain material was overlooked way too often in his eye, and he needed an answer. Many professionals were used in the making of the survey for validity and effectiveness. 15% of survey participants actually came out and admit to ethically uncertain research. To me, that seems like a very large amount to come out and admit to.
Without considering the amount of people that did not answer truthfully to the survey (which we all know happens), it is probably an even larger amount. Especially because the medical field is not one with much room to mess around with, the unethical research is at a high amount here. The editor sure did have a reason to be worried. There was also a very high un-response rate, meaning that there was something to be covered up, giving people a reason to not want to be involved with the survey. A few parties are affected by ethical uncertainty by editors. First of all, the institution they work for is at quite a risk when doing so.
When the unethical behavior is overlooked they are lucky. Though, there are times when it is caught and action is taken. This particular article did not state any companies that have been convicted, but have informed that such actions do take place. People also at risk are the patients and studies that are spoken of by these writers. Not only the, but the readers are at risk as well. How often do we seek medical advice through the media? We expect that medical professionals who are good enough to have articles written actually know what they are talking about, so we believe them.
In another search online I found an article titled Doctor in MMR-Autism Scare Ruled Unethical. His article stated that certain diseases like mumps and measles vaccines were directly linked to Autism and bowel disorders in children. Medical authorities in the U. K. have deemed his research as unethical and ruled him dishonest and irresponsible. Many families did not get the vaccines for their children because of these false pretenses and in fact ended up getting diseased. This is because of one doctor’s unethical research. This is a great example of unethical research and the affect it has.
It seems as though many professionals can get tied up in their own success that they disregard the importance of being ethical. First and foremost, to prevent unethical behavior there needs to be a code of conduct represented in any form of business. It needs to be made clear to all subjects in that field and reprimanded. There needs to be clear consequences if unethical action is taken. When research if performed and then actually published, there are so many people that follow through with the research. A checks and balances system should also be created.
This way not only one person has the work in their hands, but must go through many officials to even pass its inspection. This especially needs to happen in the medical field where lives can depend on it. Most importantly, any business needs to hire based upon morals and values. Candidate’s values must have importance over mostly anything, like the expression “quality over quantity”. There are many times when a business regretted hiring with confidence rather than value. A great example is of the doctor from the Time article I used. Ethical research is not one that should be over looked in any field.
