Integrity in Science and Technology Production

Abstract

This communication discusses the meanings and applications of the concept of integrity in scientific production. Integrity is a polysemic concept whose etymology refers to wholeness, completeness or purity. When applied to ethics, the concept presents itself as a virtue of those who are coherent – ​​whole, complete – in their moral life. In the field of care sciences, integrity is also related to respect for the whole body and individuality of patients. In discussions about ethics in scientific production, integrity includes both aspects: on the one hand, it points to bad practices related to the researcher's ethical conduct in matters such as fraud, plagiarism, falsification of data, conflicts of interest, that is, to what violates the integrity of scientific data; on the other hand, it points to practices that put the integrity of people and the environment at risk, such as in abusive and exploratory research with human beings or studies with negative impacts on the environment. The communication concludes that the issue of integrity goes beyond individual relationships involving researchers and their objects of study, but concerns a network of collective practices whose approach requires a critical, collective and politicized reading of bioethics.