Research has no value if it is not made public. Results are shared with
colleagues so they can be tested, used to advance knowledge, and put
to work. They are shared with the public and policymakers so that they
can be used to make decisions about funding and practical application.
While researchers might engage in research simply for their own satisfaction,
if their work receives public support, they have a responsibility to
share that work with others.
Chapter
9, Authorship and Publication,
covers the responsibilities researchers have when they share results
with others through informal communications, oral presentations, scholarly
publications, and public statements. Whatever mechanism is used, research
results should be shared honestly, efficiently, and without bias. Dishonesty
and bias undermine the usefulness of research publications; inefficiency
(publishing the same research several times) wastes public funds and
the valuable time of reviewers and journal editors.
Chapter
10, Peer Review, describes the responsibilities researchers
have when they review the work of other researchers. Non-peers—individuals
who do not have equal training and knowledge—cannot evaluate the
quality and importance of research. Peers can and therefore play a crucial
role in many important decisions about the funding, publication, and
use of research.