Publishing can play a major factor in how a scientist is regarded. This is because the number of publications scientists produce can affect who gets a raise, who gets hired, who gets fired, and who gets funding to do more experiments. Consequently, a phenomenon known as “salami slicing” has arisen in science. Instead of publishing a large comprehensive study containing all the results as one large paper, scientists often slice up the work into the smallest units possible and publish these as several separate papers—often in different journals. 1 Research the phenomenon of scientific salami slicing, and list at least two possible ethical problems that can arise from this practice.
2 Explain how this practice can affect the way that scientific information is disseminated to nonscientists.
3 Post a suggestion for a policy that scientists or science journals could follow that would reduce the amount of salami slicing that occurs in research.
4 Examine the suggestions posted by your classmates. Suggest any problems that the policy might cause.