Includes bibliographical references and index.

Research in Medical and Biological Sciences covers the wide range of topics that a researcher must be familiar with in order to become a successful biomedical scientist. Perfect for aspiring as well as practicing professionals in the medical and biological sciences, this publication discusses a broad range of topics that are common yet not traditionally considered part of formal curricula, including philosophy of science, ethics, statistics, and grant applications. The information presented in this book also facilitates communication across conventional disciplinary boundaries, in line with the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of modern research projects.

Front Cover; Research in Medical and Biological Sciences; Copyright Page; Contents; List of Contributors; Preface; 1 Philosophy of Science; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Philosophy of the Natural Sciences; 1.3 What Is Science? Differentiating Science from Nonscience; 1.4 Knowledge and Truth: What is Knowledge and What Constitutes a Scientific Fact?; 1.5 The Glue That Holds the World Together: Causation; 1.5.1 Necessary Conditions; 1.5.2 Sufficient Conditions; 1.5.3 Combination of Conditions that Together are Necessary and Sufficient; 1.5.4 Combination of Conditions that Together are Sufficient.

1.5.5 Probabilistic Causation1.5.6 Counterfactual Conditions; 1.6 Scientific Explanation; 1.7 Modes of Inference; 1.8 What Science Is About; 1.9 Scientific Rationality; 1.10 Hypothesis Testing; 1.10.1 Hypothetical-Deductive Method; 1.11 The Aim of Science: Reducing Uncertainty; 1.12 The Empirical Turn in the Philosophy of Science: Science in Society; 1.13 Philosophy of the Social Sciences; 1.14 Interpretation, Understanding, and Explanation; 1.14.1 Explanation and Understanding; 1.14.2 Interpretation; 1.15 The Hermeneutic Circle, Horizon of Understanding, and "Double Hermeneutics."

1.16 Power, Ideology, and Interests1.17 Validity; 1.18 Reductionism and Emergence; 1.19 Generalization; Questions to Discuss; Acknowledgments; References; Further Reading; 2 Ethics and Scientific Conduct; 2.1 Why the Current Focus on Scientific Misconduct?; 2.2 What Do We Know About Scientific Misconduct?; 2.3 What Is Wrong with Scientific Misconduct?; 2.3.1 Consequentialism; 2.3.2 Deontological Ethics; 2.3.3 Virtue Ethics; 2.4 Scientific Conduct and Misconduct; 2.4.1 Internal Norms; 2.4.2 Linkage Norms and External Norms.

2.5 Scientific Misconduct That Affects the Truth Claims of Scientific Findings2.5.1 Wrong Observations and Wrong Analysis; 2.5.2 Plagiarism; 2.5.3 Fabrication; 2.6 Authorship; 2.6.1 Exclusion from Authorship; 2.6.2 Gift Authorship; 2.6.3 Authorship by Coercion; 2.6.4 Unsolicited Authorship; 2.6.5 Ghost Authorship; 2.6.6 Refusal to Accept Responsibility; 2.7 Salami, Imalas, and Duplicate Publication; 2.8 The Investigation, Prevention, and Punishment of Scientific Misconduct; Questions to Discuss; Appendix 1 ICMJE Recommendations on the Role of Authors and Contributors; Why Authorship Matters.

Who Is an Author?Nonauthor Contributors; References; Further Reading; 3 Ethics in Human and Animal Studies; 3.1 Basic Principles of Human Biomedical Research Ethics; 3.2 International Regulation; 3.2.1 Consent; 3.2.2 Inability to Consent; 3.2.3 Randomized Controlled Trials; 3.2.4 Vulnerable Research Participants; 3.2.5 Epidemiological Research, "Big Data," and Biobank Research; 3.2.6 The Role of RECs; 3.2.7 Data Protection, Good Clinical Practice, and Other Regulations Influencing Biomedical Research Ethics; 3.3 The Ethics of Animal Research.

Print version record.