HYDERABAD: At a time when science is breaking new barriers every day, helping people usher in the new age of development and technology, the issue of communicating ideas to people around the globe and the matter of ethics take utmost importance. “In India, science has to be communicated in various languages to percolate through people, said Pallava Bagla, a science photojournalist. He was speaking on the fifth day of the “One Week One Lab” campaign at CSIR-IICT. The theme for the day was ‘Science Communications and Ethics in Science’.
He pointed out that science done in secrecy does not benefit anyone, making science communication vital. However, he pointed to the classified nature of defence projects since it is for the security of people. While urging scientists to refrain from using jargon and ‘almost-indecipherable’ technical language, he asked them to take measures to win the trust of people.
Chief guest of the event, Dr Manoj Dhar, director of the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), said good research is connected with data and work. “Data, in turn, depends on the sources of collection,” he remarked.
He said plagiarism has to be avoided and urged scientists to give citations and acknowledge the work of other researchers. He elaborated on ethics that included sharing facilities, conducting experiments that involve humans and animals, the environment, the responsibility of authors and referees, among other things.