Subverting the Processes of Peer Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Subverting the Processes of Peer Review - Essay Example Hwang was indeed a brainy researcher. He had efficiently kept his collaborators, manipulating them with their own personal motives. With that, he had managed to maintain his established credibility within the span of his research and prominence. Hwang was a national hero in South Korea and was rose to fame after claiming a series of remarkable breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research. Despite the notable absence of any of the scientific data needed to probe the validity of his research, Hwang's several claims were well received by the South Korean media and public. They have been so attracted with his claim of immeasurable economic prospect that his research was said to be promising (Wikipedia, 2008). With such renowned standing, he maintained and expands his research team. Building it in a rigid hierarchical structure had made him extremely dominant among his researchers regardless of their titles. His collaborators worked for his fraud and some had even so consistent with their support despite the arousal of controversies. With their firm determination to back him up, he had managed to publicize his said noble study. Dr. Roh head of Seoul fertility clinic had agreed to collaborate with Hwang despite the anomalous way of obtaining the egg cell from paid donors and two of their junior researchers. When the controversy was exposed he even publicly admits the deed claiming that he was solely responsible and Hwang was unaware of the said anomaly. This was to cover up despite the fact that Hwang himself had distributed egg donation consent forms to his researchers and even personally escorted one to the MizMedi Hospital to take the egg extraction procedure. All these fabrication were for the assured credit on what had been thought as a promising research. In Hwang's laboratory, every order must be followed having him as a supervisor. Two of his junior researcher had even donated their eggs despite the inconvenience of the procedure. At a point, one of the researcher/donor in her attempt to disclose the fact had retracted her statement due to alleged coercion. Moreover, his team obediently follows when Hwang told them to make it look as if there were 11 stem cells when not even half that number was there. These were with the knowledge that they would have credit on the published discovery. On the contrary, all their efforts in the research would be wasted if they would disclose the fact. After having acquired a celebrity status in South Korea, Hwang actively sought to establish every possible tie to political and