The progress of science, by its very nature, requires cooperation. Ideas are built upon. One group of researchers makes a discovery and ten new groups of researchers push that discovery in new directions with diverse experiments centered around their own particular field of expertise. Thats how it works.
There are, however, flaws to this approach.
At my current facility, Postdoctoral fellows are required to present their research at least once each year to the gathered body of scientists. Everyone attends these talks eager to learn something new and to find out how the Postdocs are faring in their studies.
In a conversation with one of the Postdocs, the following was revealed: often, the findings reported at this meetings are false.
Postdocs have to publish novel scientific findings, the more novel the better. They remain poor and at the bottom of the research totem pole until they do. The fear among these junior scientists is that if they present their real data and observations there is a chance that someone in the audience, might take that data, replicate it, and publish it first. In order to keep that from happening, many of the postdocs fabricate data. This throws off other investigators who are on the same track and protects them from being beaten to the journal of their choice with their findings.
I am going to recommend soon that we only allow Postdocs to present who have completed research studies. I'm not a fan of being lied to.
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