These two stories point up a major reason for encouraging courses in research ethics: Good intentions
do not necessarily result in ethical decisions. Both of the faculty members in the above scenarios “meant
well.” In both cases, the faculty members truly believed that what they were doing was morally
acceptable. In the first case, Dr. Z’s (indefensible) error was that he was unaware of the conventions of
the field. In particular, he seemed blissfully oblivious to the meaning of first authorship. In the second
case, Professor R was doing what he thought best for the student without taking into consideration that
morality is a public system and that his actions with regard to a single student have public consequences
for the practice of science as a profession