Abstract

In the pursuit of research and in the reporting of their results, the individual scientist as well as the community of fellow professionals relies implicitly on the researcher embracing the habit of truthfulness, a main pillar of the ethos of science. Failure to adhere to the twin imperatives of candor and integrity will be adjudged intolerable and, by virtue of science’s self-policing mechanisms, rendered the exception to the rule. Yet both as philosophical concepts and in practice, candor and integrity are complex, difficult to define clearly, and difficult to convey easily to those entering scientific careers. Therefore, it is useful to present operational examples of two major scientists, P.W. Bridgman and Niels Bohr, who exemplified devotion to candor and integrity in scientific research.