A scientific organization has asked the (U.S.) National Academy of Scientists for advice on whether it should withhold critical information from journal articles due to authors' fears that its disclosure could aid terrorists, the New York Times reported today.
Dr. Ronald Atlas, president of the American Society for Microbiology, told the academy that authors have asked the ASM for permission to withhold critical information out of concern that significant data could be misappropriated or abused, the Times stated.
The ASM, which publishes 11 journals, said that some of the scientists who have requested such permission work for government laboratories. Nevertheless, the requests appear to have been made on the basis of individual judgment, according to ASM president Dr. Ronald Atlas.
The issue is complex, inasmuch as scientists must be able to reproduce the results of studies in order to verify their validity, the article stated.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersJuly 26, 2002
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