In the high-technology societies of the twenty-first century scientists at academic institutions are often asked to explain or comment on complex technical issues that are of relevance to modern society and the common man. Members of academia are approached, as they are usually intelligent, highly knowledgeable, and honorable women and men, who are more faithful to scientific facts and truths than to themselves, their family or friends, or any organization in society. The role of academics as reliable and truthful messengers can only be maintained if academics are seen to adhere to the basic principles and rules of the academic scientific endeavor. However, with the rapid expansion in both the size and number of academic institutions over the past half century, the likelihood of scientists violating academic principles or espousing nonsense instead of truth is increasing. This is exemplified by the wave of plagiarism in the past decade that has been detected by the use of modern software and the recent case involving a highly publicized claim that particles had been detected moving faster than the speed of light, which was later retracted. While occurrences of deliberate scientific fraud are fortunately rare, whenever cases of inappropriate conduct go unchallenged and there is failure to maintain scientific standards, the trust that society bestows on academia will be undermined. That the German Secretary of Defense, Mr. zu Guttenberg, was forced to resign by a flood of emails from young scientists reminding the German Chancellor of the general importance of academic honesty should be seen as a highlight in the quest for scientific integrity.
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