University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 1 of 14 CSA1013: Historical and Scientific Perspectives on CS & AI Dr. Christopher Staff Department of Computer Science & AI University of Malta Research Ethics

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 2 of 14 Aims and Objectives Extending knowledge Trust Effects on society and the environment Reference: –Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research. National Academy Press. Available online at

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 3 of 14 Research Research is uncertain Research can fail: in which case, time and money have been expended without results There can be pressure to produce valid results –Promotions/Careers –Extensions to funding/contract renewals –Recognition

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 4 of 14 Science is a Social Activity Approaches to scientific discovery are discussed among colleagues Data, even when speculative, may be exchanged Results are verified and disseminated Published work is critiqued with a view to establishing its significance

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 5 of 14 Methodology Methodologies are used to obtain results in a standard manner so that results of different experiments can be meaningfully compared Methodologies do evolve, and as research pushes the frontiers of science, it may not be possible to use conventional techniques

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 6 of 14 Interpreting data When we conduct research we pursue a line of enquiry because we believe it will lead to certain results Corroboration of our expectations and bias Objectivity Collective validation

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 7 of 14 Conflicts of Interest Is there a bias for producing a certain type of data? Or that may influence the interpretation of the results? Either can lead to unsafe scientific practices

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 8 of 14 Publication Publication proves priority Peer review Trustworthiness Timeliness Citations! Sharing

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 9 of 14 Citing Sources List of authors - major contributors Acknowledgements - other, significant contributors References

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 10 of 14 Error and Negligence “Scientific results are inherently provisional. Scientists can never prove conclusively that they have described some aspect of the natural or physical world with complete accuracy. In that sense all scientific results must be treated as susceptible to error.” On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 11 of 14 Error and Negligence Honest mistakes Mistakes caused through negligence

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 12 of 14 Misconduct Fabricating data/results Falsifying data/results Plagiarism These can all end up being dealt with in a very public arena –viz., the failure of the lead scientist to report a conflict of interest when conducting a study on the links between the MMR vaccine and autism (2004) –S. Korean doctor accused of falsifying human cloning results (2005)

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 13 of 14 Whistle-blowing What do you do if you encounter unethical practices?

University of Malta CSA1013 © Chris Staff 14 of 14 Conclusion The most significant aspect of Research Ethics that you are likely to encounter as undergraduates is… Plagiarism Do familiarise yourselves with plagiarism and how to avoid it