ABSTRACT
What effect on the public does scienti†c misconduct have? In the case of federally funded research (research that is funded by tax dollars in the United States, anyway), it can easily be argued that the researchers have an obligation to show the taxpayers what it is that they have paid for. It is exactly this argument that has led to a repository of manuscripts from federally funded research found in government publications as well as subscription journals. On the other hand, the public is comprised largely of nonscientists who have not had the training to understand and evaluate the research being reported. Consequently, in all instances, it is better to put the research through the test of peer review before “going public” with results. This allows for some level of quality control of science by scientists. In matters of extreme emergencies, the peer-review process can be sped up, but the limiting step will always be the speed of the science. Scientists and not the lay public must remain in control of funding decisions. The lay public simply does not have the experience or the education to determine the quality and the potential impact of science.
