Rescuing Science from Politics

Researchers and those using their research must be careful to represent the findings accurately. When science is used for policy making, the limits of the scientific studies and judgments should be explicit so that the science does not serve as cover for underlying policy judgments. The data and methods of research that inform regulatory decisions must also be communicated honestly and expeditiously to the research community and broader public.

Researchers and those using their data must be honest about the limits of the research and remaining uncertainties. If others misrepresent research to suggest an outcome not supported by the study, researchers must correct these misstatements as soon as they become aware of them.

Research must never be dismissed or excluded because it does not provide a complete answer to a larger policy or science question. Research, by its nature, is incomplete, and to dismiss research because it does not provide a definitive answer could result in the exclusion of valuable science from regulatory decision making.

The data underlying a published study, as well as a comprehensive description of the methods, must be available to other scientists and the public at large upon publication of the study or submission of the results to a federal agency, in compliance with prevailing rules for preserving the privacy of human research subjects. Regulatory agencies should rigorously review and challenge exaggerated claims that underlying data must be kept confidential for business or other, however reasons.