The scientific community and the community at large rightly expect adherence to exemplary standards of intellectual honesty in the formulation, conduct, and reporting of scientific research. As science has become a larger and more collaborative enterprise, however, with increasing pressure to publish and "be first", there has been a tendency for scientists to exaggerate the importance of their results as well as their own roles in the research, to the detriment of their more junior colleagues.

The purposes of research ethics training are to promote the responsible conduct of research, and to discourage research misconduct and questionable research practices, through education. Those who participate in research ethics case discussions will:

• increase knowledge of, and sensitivity to, issues surrounding the responsible conduct of research
  
• improve their ability to make ethical and legal choices in the face of conflicts involving scientific research
  
• develop an appreciation for the range of accepted scientific practices for conducting research
  
• learn about the regulations, policies, statutes, and guidelines that govern the conduct of PHS-funded research
  
• develop positive attitudes toward life-long learning in matters involving the responsible conduct of research.

This year's theme for the case discussions is Scientific Misconduct. How big a problem is scientific misconduct in the Intramural Research Program of the NIH? In the past 6 years, there have been 15 allegations of scientific misconduct that proceeded to an Inquiry or Investigation - for 2 there was a finding of misconduct. Participants in these case discussions will learn about the rules and regulations that guide how allegations of scientific misconduct are handled at the NIH, described in A Guide to the Handling of Scientific Misconduct Allegations in the Intramural Research Program at the NIH.