Ironically, those who are caught often blame their misconduct on competition, pressure to publish, and recognition and prizes – the very practices and incentives that the scientific community introduced and fostered. Indeed, while the menace of misconduct has been exaggerated, we have to rethink how we conduct science – its values, virtues, and shortcomings.
颇具讽刺意味的是，那些被抓获的作弊者往往将自己的不当行为归咎于竞争，归咎于发表论文、获得认可及获奖所带来的压力，而这些正是科学界致力打造并发扬的激励机制。其实，虽然对不端行为所造成的威胁有所夸大，但我们不得不重新思考我们该如何正确地对待科学——重新思考我们的优缺点和价值观。