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Does the expert behave ethically?

Does Elizabeth Holmes have a trustworthy track record of research integrity?

Other examples

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Sorry, that wasn’t the right answer

Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of fraud in connection to her blood-testing company, Theranos. A series of investigations by journalists and regulators showed that Holmes defrauded investors in her medical diagnostics venture company by falsifying and withholding data related to its blood testing machines.

Do you want to know more?

An expert’s commitment to tell the truth even if it goes against the grain may be indicated by the way they have behaved in the past. Check if a presumed expert has a track record of misconduct, or if they have been discredited by the relevant community of experts for dishonest behavior.

Here are some questions and tips that you should consider when you want to decide if an expert is ethically trustworthy. ¹

Experts who advise on policy should show awareness and sensitivity of the broader impacts of their advice.2, 3, 4, 5 Is the expert willing to engage with the public on these issues? Do they consider what is in the public’s interest when giving expert advice? Do they show sensitivity towards those who are in a position of social or economic disadvantage?
An expert’s political, social and religious views can influence the advice they give or opinion they share. Are they transparent about their possible conflicts of interests? ^{6, 7, 8, 9}
Look out for signs of dishonesty, which could include: plagiarism, faking experiments, cherry-picking data and statistics, and systematic misrepresentation of others’ work. Is there evidence that the expert has behaved dishonestly in the past? ¹⁰

Additional Resources

What’s wrong with epistemic trespassing?
Epistemic trespassing and expert witness testimony
Epistemic neighbors: trespassing and the range of expert authority
Twitter thread by Nathan Ballantyne on epistemic trespassing.
Epistemic Trespassing
What is pseudoscience? Scientific American
Reputation: what it is and why it matters
Defending Longino’s Social Epistemology
The Legitimacy of Pseudo-Expert Discourse in the Public Sphere
Snopes fact-checking website

Well done – you were right!

Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of fraud in connection to her blood-testing company, Theranos. A series of investigations by journalists and regulators showed that Holmes defrauded investors in her medical diagnostics venture company by falsifying and withholding data related to its blood testing machines.

Do you want to know more?

An expert’s commitment to tell the truth even if it goes against the grain may be indicated by the way they have behaved in the past. Check if a presumed expert has a track record of misconduct, or if they have been discredited by the relevant community of experts for dishonest behavior.

Here are some questions and tips that you should consider when you want to decide if an expert is ethically trustworthy. ¹

Experts who advise on policy should show awareness and sensitivity of the broader impacts of their advice.2, 3, 4, 5 Is the expert willing to engage with the public on these issues? Do they consider what is in the public’s interest when giving expert advice? Do they show sensitivity towards those who are in a position of social or economic disadvantage?
An expert’s political, social and religious views can influence the advice they give or opinion they share. Are they transparent about their possible conflicts of interests? ^{6, 7, 8, 9}
Look out for signs of dishonesty, which could include: plagiarism, faking experiments, cherry-picking data and statistics, and systematic misrepresentation of others’ work. Is there evidence that the expert has behaved dishonestly in the past? ¹⁰

Additional Resources

What’s wrong with epistemic trespassing?
Epistemic trespassing and expert witness testimony
Epistemic neighbors: trespassing and the range of expert authority
Twitter thread by Nathan Ballantyne on epistemic trespassing.
Epistemic Trespassing
What is pseudoscience? Scientific American
Reputation: what it is and why it matters
Defending Longino’s Social Epistemology
The Legitimacy of Pseudo-Expert Discourse in the Public Sphere
Snopes fact-checking website

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