Scientists Want To Keep Their Research Work Out of Court

Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 2, 2012 @03:52AM from the 10-million-dead-polar-bears-can't-be-wrong dept.

concealment writes "How much privacy is the scientific process entitled to? During the course of their work, researchers produce e-mails, preliminary results, and peer reviews, all of which might be more confused or critical than the final published works. Recently, both private companies with a vested interest in discounting the results, and private groups with a political axe to grind have attempted to use the courts to get access to that material.Would it be possible or wise to keep these documents private and immune to subpoenas? In the latest issue of Science, a group of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) argue that scientists need more legal rights to retain these documents and protect themselves in court."

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Re:That's the point by interkin3tic · 2012-10-02 04:43 · Score: 0, Troll

But the police are at least in theory impartial. The people who are paid to smear the climate change research, on the other hand, fuck their axe.
Re:And What Horrible Things Are You Up To? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-02 04:43 · Score: 0, Troll

"And if it can't withstand daylight - it's suspect."
Says the anonymous coward.
The source of a logical argument is irrelevant.
If the data, methods, and reasoning used to support a scientific conclusion can't withstand daylight, the conclusion is worthless.
Whether you like it or not.