scope:

This fascinating book gives readers an appreciation of how biomedical research should work and how the reality is all too often seriously flawed. Explaining the logical basis of the different research approaches used by biomedical research scientists and their relative merits, it will help readers to make more realistic appraisal of media reports linking aspects of lifestyle, environment or diet to health outcomes and thus judge whether such claims are a real effect worthy of consideration for behavior change or deserving of further research resources.

Key features:

•increases awareness of research fraud and some of the characteristics of fraudulent science and scientific fraudsters

•shows that whilst outright fraud may be uncommon, fudging of results to help achieve statistical significance may be more prevalent

•incorporates real-life case studies highlighting some of the infamous cases of research fraud and major scientific mistakes and the impact that they have had

•provides a convenient overview of the research process in the biomedical sciences, with a focus on research strategy rather than individual methods

By raising awareness of the possibility that research data may have been dishonestly generated and outlining some of the signs and symptoms that might suggest data fabrication, Error and Fraud: The Dark Side of Biomedical Research will help students and researchers to identify the strengths and limitations of different research approaches and allow them to make a realistic evaluations of their own and others' research findings.

Author: Geoffrey P. Webb