[Coral-List] ETHICS AND Posting Literature Requests

[Tom Williams]

I greatly appreciate the things that--- Jim Hendee
<jim.hendee at noaa.gov> wrote: posts to Coral-List that
essentially ask subscribers to do their research

SOME ETHICAL QUESTIONS
 
1. AS TO WHETHER SUFFICIENT ATTRIBUTION BY REAL
RESEARCHERS IS GIVEN TO THE "SOURCES"; 

2. CLIENTS ARE AWARE THAT THE COMMERCIAL RESEARCHER
HAS USED FREE PUBLIC SOURCES WHICH SHOULD INFLUENCE
THE COSTS OF SERVICES PROVIDED TO THE CLIENT;

3.  IF COMMERCIAL RESEARCHERS ARE PROVIDING
PROPRIETARY INFO TO THIRD PARTIES (LIST), THE
RESEARCHER MAY BE IN CONFLICT WITH THEIR CONTRACT. 

RESEARCHERS FROM REMOTE ACADEMIC AND GOVERNMENT
LOCATIONS NEED HELP AND WOULD BE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE
INFO TO THE PUBLIC VIEW (GRANTED NOT ALWAYS) -
good point made in the past is that some researchers
are in very remote places with little or no libraries
and limited internet access 

recent request for literature was done by a commercial
venture, and the charge was made to me (only) that the
resulting research product probably would not be
available to Coral-List subscribers, or to others.

IF PROVIDED THE RESEARCHER IS IN CONFLICT WITH THEIR
CONTRACT AND PROPRIETARY/FUDICIARY OBLIGATIONS ALONG
WITH ALL SORTS OF MARKET ETHICS.

I have no way of knowing whether or not that is the
case, so let me just ask, for the good of "the cause"
(i.e., saving the coral reefs of the world), that if
 such a literature request post is allowed, that you
 follow up  your request with a summary of some sort
that goes beyond what the responses were to the list,
or that  you offer to send the summary to those
interested (respondents:  please write directly to the
poster, not to the list).  

However, I would prefer that you not use Coral-List
for such inquiries without first conducting your own
in-depY THE LISTth research attempts.

-- LETS BE SPECIFIC - AS A MINIMUM THE REQUESTER
SHOULD:

1. INDICATE WHETHER THE RESEARCH IS COMMERCIALLY
BASED;
2. RESEARCHER HAS LIMITED LOCAL RESOURCES AND LIMITED
INTERNET ACCESS;
3. DEMONSTRATE THEY HAVE AT LEAST DONE A GOGLE SEARCH
AND THEY NEED CONFIRMATION AND SUPPLEMENTS TO A LIST
THAT THEY PROVIDE - PRE-FACTO.
4. PROVIDES THE SUMMARY AND ABSTRACTS FOR RESEARCH
ASSISTANCE
5.  ACKNOWLEDGES IN RESEARCH ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY
THE LIST 

I HAVE DONE ALOT OF COMMERCIAL RESEARCH AND AM UPSET
WITH THOSE THAT OBVIOUSLY ARE DOING COMMERCIAL
RESEARCH AND USE/ABUSE THE LIST.  ESPECIALLY WITH
THOSE THAT DO NOT RETURN ANYTHING TO THE LIST.  THERE
"PROFESSIONAL" SITES FOR SUCH ENQUIRIES.

JIM YOU HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB. 

DR. TOM WILLIAMS
SAN MATEO CA