That confusion is closer to what the book conveys than its professed critical purpose, for it is an oddly mixed and occasionally confused compendium of brief anecdotes and rather more serious accounts of fraud in science. An anthology of research malpractice, error, self-deception and other misbegotten behaviors such as deliberate hoaxes, venality, carelessness, fiscal irresponsibility, malicious insinuations and plagiarism, it leaves much to be desired.
The common threads linking these disreputable activities are scientists and science. But scientists themselves make a clear distinction between error and fraud. Error is acknowledged to be not only an inevitable but an important, indeed a natural part of the quest for knowledge. There is scarcely any opprobrium to getting it wrong if you do it right. Most scientists acknowledge that in order for any scientists to reach beyond the routine of normal research, some will reach beyond their grasp. The identification and correction of ...
