Chapter 4: Writing Science Ethically

Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase

According to the chapter, the term “ethical science writing” relates to the need of STEM writers to build a positive _____ (or reputation) in order to be respected by readers. Ethical science writers avoid _____________ the significance of their research; they avoid ____________ the work of other researchers; they don’t use writing to ________ shoddy or incomplete research.

Please note that this question is not scored.

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1 Which of the following are examples of plagiarism? Check all that apply.

A research team fails to cite their own earlier article that reports their own research on which a current article is based.

A writer does not cite the research behind a theory that is well known and acknowledged as true by the research community.

A research team cites the articles reporting research, carried out by others, that the team paraphrases in a new article.

A research team cites the articles reporting research, carried out by others, that the team copies word for word (verbatim) into their own article.

A STEM journalist quotes word for word, using quotation marks, a research source that the journalist cites.

A STEM journalist quotes word for word a research source that the journalist cites, but without using quotation marks.

2 Which of the following are ways in which STEM writers can avoid misrepresenting the significance of their research? Check all that apply.

striving to be as complete and as accurate as possible in reporting their methods and in reporting results

taking care to report the limitations of their methods and the calculated level of confidence that supports their conclusions

taking care to report the limitations of their methods and the calculated level of confidence in their peer-reviewed journal articles, but not including these factors in a press release reported on their team website

primarily relying on the peer-review process in a journal in their research area in order to find any shortcomings in their methods

besides the peer-review process, consulting other trustworthy readers in their field to give feedback on a complete draft of their article and to look closely for any possible misrepresentations

3 One stylistic method that STEM journalists can use to keep from unduly “hyping” research or products includes blending a positive research story with

– a realistic sense of the obstacles facing researchers,
– the ambiguity of results, and
– the ongoing need for skepticism in the verification process.

This method is called in the chapter the __________________________.

Please fill in the correct answer in the space provided below.

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