Articles by Dan Burk

The recent public apology by President Clinton on behalf of the United States government to survivors of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments was intended to close the door on one of the most scandalous instances of officially sanctioned scientific misconduct in the annals of biomedical research. Yet, while the apology may bring closure to the particular incident, it stands as a stark reminder of the history that has led many minorities to distrust supposedly objective scientific research. Betraye

Since their release earlier this year, the recommendations of the congressionally chartered Commission on Research Integrity (CRI) have generated ongoing controversy (B. Goodman, The Scientist, Jan. 22, 1996, page 1; B. Goodman, The Scientist, July 22, 1996, page 3). It should surprise no one that the report containing those recommendations has been the subject of much debate. The commission, chaired by Kenneth Ryan, was required by its charter to perform a difficult balancing act: juggling th

Fraud and misconduct in scientific research have become a problem attracting national and international attention. Although concern over research misconduct was once confined to the scientific community, it has since become the focus of media scrutiny and the obsession of congressional committees. With this growing interest has come increased governmental intervention, particularly where public research funds are involved. Whereas deceitful scientists were once subjected only to the disapprov

The emergence and proliferation of the global Internet computer network represents a milestone in increased information exchange and access. Tens of thousands of Internet users now regularly traverse "cyberspace," as the vast assemblage of online data has come to be commonly known. Attending the benefits of these new electronic resources, however, is the prospect of legal conflict. Until recently, the network has been the exclusive domain of a relatively small and homogeneous group of scientis

Scientific issues now permeate a multitude of legal matters--the presentation of criminal evidence, cases involving intellectual property, environmental disputes, and so on. And, by all accounts, the courts are handling this surge of scientific adjudication poorly: Mishandling of scientific matters in court has been blamed for outrageous tort awards, improper criminal convictions, and even the erosion of the United States' competitiveness. In my view, the legal system's inability to properly