In the course of this three-year project, we have come to believe that when we ask the question, “Who
needs research ethics?” our answer must be, “practicing scientists.” All scientists engaged in research can
benefit from the discussion of research ethics. This doesn’t mean that the study of ethics will answer
questions about how long to keep a lab notebook or who should be first author on a paper. Ethics
education is not about finding the “correct” answer. Nevertheless, discussion of ethical issues allows
scientists to grapple with and develop strategies for recognizing, approaching, and resolving ethical
problems.