Science and Engineering Ethics

Science and Engineering Ethics (S&EE) is a mul-tidisciplinary, international scholarly journal that [Page 680]seeks to examine the ethical dimensions of science and technology. This includes issues relating to publication ethics and to the ethics of scientific communication. Some of the journal's other main subject areas include codes of ethics, computer ethics, public policy, the ethics of emerging technologies, and scientific freedom. Whereas most science and ethics publications tend to focus on the biological sciences, S&EE is rather unique in its broad and expansive purview. The journal contains articles within the domain of bioethics, but a large portion of its content pertains to issues outside of that realm. Further, subjects that might not be addressed by traditional ethics or bioethics journals, such as dual-use technology, are explored.

The journal began in January 1995. The impetus for the creation of S&EE largely stems from a 1993 AAAS symposium on the subject of teaching ethics in science and technological fields. Following that meeting, the founders of S&EE decided to create the journal. They wanted to provide practicing scientists and engineers with the opportunity to identify and analyze ethical issues while at the same time seek intellectual contributions from scholars in the humanities, such as philosophers and social scientists.

The journal has a diverse reading audience in terms of expertise and educational backgrounds. It aims to be accessible to a broad array of individuals. Authors and readers span numerous technical fields, from computing and electrical engineering to biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and genetics. Further, philosophers, lawyers, social scientists, and education scholars are frequent contributors to and readers of the journal. This occurs in part because S&EE covers issues of interest to academic and nonacademic communities.

On the academic side, the journal contains articles relevant to both pedagogy and research. For example, there are explanations of the reasons for teaching ethics in science and engineering and of the proper approach best suited to accomplish the goal of incorporating ethical considerations. To that end, authors who have published in S&EE consider the respective merits of case studies and the usefulness of ethical theory when instructing on engineering ethics. A related facet involves who has the appropriate expertise to teach the subject matter, the principal candidates likely being either engineers or ethicists.

The journal also has a presence in the realm of research ethics. For example, plagiarism is a common worry in research communities, and it is a topic confronted within several articles. Further, conflict of interest and peer review are other core areas of research ethics that are explored. With regard to the former issue, S&EE authors examine the merits of different conflict of interest policies and the ethical dimensions of academic-industry partnerships. Within a 2002 National Academies report titled “Integrity in Scientific Research: Creating an Environment That Promotes Responsible Conduct,” S&EE is listed as being a key journal for finding articles on research integrity.

The journal engages topics of interest to non-academics, including practicing engineers, industry scientists, and policy analysts, as well. It is designed to provide a venue for practitioners to discuss ethical guidelines and standards related to their professional fields. For example, a recent exchange among several authors centered on whether computing professionals have a positive responsibility to perform “good deeds.” In other words, the underlying issue is whether there is an ethical obligation to go beyond already established guidelines and requirements stating that one should “do no harm” and seek to actively help the public. Other questions raised by authors about professional practice include how to manage risk and uncertainty in engineering designs and whether it is ethically appropriate for engineers to work on military technology.

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