Currently, the webpage you are viewing and the supporting content on other media platforms linked to it primarily consists of original, personal experiences grounded in a specific profession or related discipline. Therefore, these are not accessible to everyone, but rather depend on a particular situation or problem.
The focus of this development is professional growth rather than personal development. Briefly mentioning the definition of profession in the introduction of the article would be beneficial.
The TDK defines a profession as follows1:
A structured activity, based on systematic knowledge and skills, carried out by individuals to produce useful goods and services, and to earn money in return, governed by established rules. Work. Teaching.
When considered within a professional context, I believe professional information (enformasyon) has reached a meta-level. Certainly, the term “information worker” does not represent a situation that requires criticism. As explicitly stated in the definition of profession, the action in question is carried out with a profit objective. The decoupling of access to information from time and place, made possible by internet technologies, can be considered the primary reason for this phenomenon. However, there is another significant issue that, while essential, is often overlooked: ethics.
If the individual or organization providing and disseminating information aims to facilitate individuals’ or society’s access to information (and in this context, a specific professional group may also be mentioned), then the credibility of the information itself as well as that of the person or organization presenting it becomes relevant. This credibility is typically measured through citation (in an internet context, reference links or sharing). However, it is quite difficult to claim that the word’s operation is dependent on dictionary meanings within internet culture and internet content producers. On the other hand, when considering the fact that a range of behaviors are displayed through code, and that ethical considerations are largely disregarded—beyond human behavior—it becomes evident that monitoring and control are difficult to achieve. Of course, the intent behind control is not censorship. We can certainly state that virtually every professional institution has ethical guidelines, but unless there is a culture of suppression within an institutional context, I do not believe individuals adhere to these rules in the context of web content production. Let’s once again examine the equivalent of the word ethical through the TDK2.
A comprehensive set of behaviors that professionals across various fields either must follow or must avoid.
Of course, this definition slightly narrows the scope of the statement. Fundamentally, ethics is itself a topic of debate in philosophy, and particularly within the realm of moral-normative relationships, it encompasses numerous sub-topics3. However, to avoid dispersing the discussion, I will continue within the professional framework.
Let us now evaluate all these definitions collectively and compile a concise summary list.
- Unrestricted and censorship-free dissemination of information
- Advocacy for access to information 4
- Compliance with copyright regulations
- Clearly indicating the sources used and, if possible, notifying the source holders
- Avoiding interference with information within the framework of personal beliefs, opinions, or judgments 5 6
- Personal interests must not take precedence over professional interests
- Attention to professional development and collaboration
Considering that many academic publications are now also available through widely accessible platforms such as Academia and ResearchGate, we can say that the last point is even more straightforward. On the other hand, personally, I always take the time to send a thank-you message to the content owners for the sources I frequently cite, and I would like to emphasize that I have often received great pleasure from these messages in response to the feedback I have received.
TÜBİTAK lists unethical behaviors as follows 7 8:
Fabrication
: Presenting, reporting, or publishing fabricated data
Falsification
: Altering research tools, procedures, or records in a way that may lead to different results, or manipulating results
Plagiarism
: Using others’ ideas, methods, data, writings, or designs without proper attribution to the original owners, or presenting them as one’s own without obtaining permission from the owners
Duplicate publication
: Publishing the results of a study multiple times without clearly stating that the study has already been published
Data manipulation
: Dividing the results of a study into parts in an inappropriate and inappropriate manner that compromises the integrity of the study, and attempting to publish the results multiple times
Failure to disclose funding sources
: In presentations or publications reporting the results of research that has been funded, the funding organization must be disclosed; failure to do so.
Plagiarism
: In presentations or publications reporting the results of research conducted by multiple researchers, omitting the name of any individual who has contributed to a level that entitles them to authorship, including an individual who has not contributed at a level that entitles them to authorship, or improperly arranging the authorship list.
* Quotation
: Quoting from one’s own published or submitted work without properly citing the source.
* Use of resources
: Using institutional resources in a manner inconsistent with the institution’s purpose or procedures.
Failure to comply with statements of acceptance and commitment
: Failing to comply with the statements of acceptance and commitment provided when submitting research, publications, or other activities to the institution, including providing inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete statements.
Negligence or improper use of duties
: Failing to act in accordance with established procedures when fulfilling duties such as reviewer, advisor, expert, editor, panelist, moderator, audience member, reporter, committee, or board member, or failing to perform duties or using them improperly.
* False accusation
: Making an accusation of ethical violation without credible or substantiated grounds.
[size=10]*: These headings were added later.[/size]
Information Ethics
As indicated above, in various contexts such as the aggregation, presentation, and access to information, personal values determine what is considered ethically appropriate and what is not. Individuals, professional groups, or even small societal changes do not alter the principles of equality, accessibility, and accuracy8.
Accuracy requires scrutiny of the researcher’s competence (within the context of their professional field). This scrutiny also raises questions such as how the knowledge was acquired and whether it was approached in an objective manner. Therefore, verification should be carried out through the reference section. Moreover, if an analysis or code usage is involved, and evaluated within the professional context, any sources that influence the interpretation of the data—such as data examples, code, etc.—should be shared, provided that the conditions for licensing are met. In this way, it becomes possible to determine whether interventions were made during data collection and interpretation, and whether fake data (dry-lab) was used.
Presentation should prioritize keeping information as up to date as possible. If the information was collectively produced by individuals or a group under the auspices of an institution, the relevant individuals or institutions should be explicitly mentioned during the presentation using specific citation styles (e.g., AAA, APA, MLA, etc.)9. Certainly, the ability to present words as hyperlinks within web technologies may undermine this approach. On the other hand, issues such as a domain or email address change, article deletion, or blocked access to sources also constitute other problematic factors affecting presentation.
Accessibility establishes that, despite potential variations depending on the context of use, information should be accessible to everyone without censorship and under a licensing framework. Turkey has a poor record in this regard, both at the bureaucratic and academic levels10.
In summary, when presenting information, certain ethical guidelines must be observed. Although these guidelines may involve minor personal, professional, or societal variations depending on the nature of the content, concepts such as originality, equality, and accuracy remain unchanged. Thus, the shared information acquires value and significance. Regardless of the nature of the medium or platform, due diligence in observing these unchanging rules and adhering to them to the extent possible is of great importance both for those who produce and those who access information.
*[TDK]: Turkish Language Association
*[TÜBİTAK]: Turkish State Scientific and Technical Research Council
*[AAA]: American Anthropological Association
*[APA]: American Psychological Association
*[MLA]: Modern Languages Association
Footnotes
- “Profession”, Turkish Language Association ↩
- “Ethics”, Turkish Language Association ↩
- TÜBİTAK, “Behavior Violating Ethical Rules, Warnings, and Penalties” Article 9, Section 3 ↩
- “Internet Ethics”, Safe Web ↩
- I. Kuçuradi, “Ethics and Ethical Systems”, TMH - Turkey Engineering News, Issue 423 - 2003/1 ↩
- “Philosopher Kuçuradi: Ethical values create a person’s dignity”, mistikalem, 12.12.2017 ↩
- N. Ö. Uçak, H. G. Birinci, “Scientific ethics and plagiarism”, Turkish Librarian 22, 2 (2008), 187-204 ↩
- D. E. Çebin, “Information Society and Individual Ethical Responsibilities” ↩ ↩2
- Writing Style Guides: AAA, APA, MLA, and Chicago ↩
- Z. Çolak, “Access to Information and the Accuracy of Knowledge” ↩