ABSTRACT
Science is arguably society’s greatest calling and humanity’s greatest asset. The information provided by science is universal and hence relevant to all of society. In order to provide knowledge that can be relied upon, science depends absolutely on the integrity of scientists. Some fields of science can be extremely contentious, with scientists possessing radically different opinions. Focus exclusively on reviewing the science, and try to avoid letting any personal jealousy the fact that the paper comes from scientists’ competitors, or the fact that they have been ‘scooped’, influence their review. The conflicts of interest, or competing interests, in science include possible financial gain and maintaining professional relationships. The realisation that integrity is not as embedded within the research community as it could, and should, be has led many universities and research organisations, as well as some scientific societies, to develop codes of ethics, and to offer formal training in ethics.
