Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ethics in Research

Ethics in Research

Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.

Scientific Nature of Social Psychology

Scientific Nature of Social Psychology

Social psychology is a scientific discipline dedicated to understanding how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Unlike common sense, which relies on anecdotal experiences and intuition, social psychology employs systematic research and empirical methods to ensure objectivity and reliability. This distinction is fundamental in distinguishing scientifically supported findings from mere speculation.Four fundamental scientific values guide a structured approach to research in...

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics is a philosophical study of moral actions. Ethics attempts to determine what is valuable for individuals and society. It examines the rational justification of moral judgments and analyzes what is morally just, fair, and right. Bioethics is a sub-discipline of applied ethics that analyzes the philosophical, social, and legal issues in life sciences and medicine. Ethical theories serve as a foundation for decision-making and represent the viewpoints from which people seek direction. They...

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Governing with public engagement: an anticipatory approach to human genome editing.

Science & public policy·2024

Same author

Amplifying the call for anticipatory governance.

The American journal of bioethics : AJOB·2023

Same author

Experiments in engagement: Designing public engagement with science and technology for capacity building.

Public understanding of science (Bristol, England)·2016

Same author

Acknowledging AI's dark side.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2015

Same author

Politicizing science: conceptions of politics in science and technology studies.

Social studies of science·2015

Same author

Illustrating anticipatory life cycle assessment for emerging photovoltaic technologies.

Environmental science & technology·2014

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research

Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research

Published on: November 26, 2015

Science, democracy, and the right to research.

Mark B Brown¹, David H Guston

¹Department of Government, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento, CA,95819-6089, USA. mark.brown@csus.edu

Science and Engineering Ethics

|May 13, 2009

Summary

Scientists should have a right to research, but this right is best understood as a claim to civic membership. This perspective emphasizes public deliberation on which scientific inquiries merit societal support.

Area of Science:

Political Science
Philosophy of Science
Sociology of Science

Background:

The politicization of science has spurred discussions on a
right to research
for scientists.

Observation:

This article explores the political implications of the right to research by contrasting liberal and republican conceptions of rights.
Liberal rights protect against interference, while republican rights emphasize civic membership.

Findings:

Adopting a republican framework, the right to research is viewed as integrating science within society, not isolating it.
A universal right to free inquiry for all citizens is proposed, though it may not extend to all forms of scientific research.
The protection of rights is contingent on their integration within democratic culture and institutions.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research

Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research

Published on: November 26, 2015

Implications:

Claims for a right to research should be evaluated based on their contribution to democratic values.
Understanding the right to research within its social context reframes it from a guarantee of support to a catalyst for public debate.
This perspective encourages public deliberation on the societal value and justification of scientific research endeavors.