The most recent attempt to establish universal standards for ethical issues in global science was developed as part of the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, held 21-24 July 2010, in Singapore. The “Singapore Statement on Research Integrity” seeks to set forth a set of principles and accompanying responsibilities to guide ethics in science on a global scale.

Unfortunately, the principles laid out in the Singapore Statement convey a pervasive tendency toward “top down” solutions that hold strong potential for unintended consequences.

The Singapore Statement features four principles for research integrity:

While the first three guiding principles are so fundamental as to be beyond dispute, the fourth and final statement is worrisome as a matter of practice.

The Singapore Statement amplifies on its