Medical research: the role and responsibilities of doctors.

The General Medical Council in the UK has decided to join the already very large number of organisations, nationally and internationally, that issue guidelines on the conduct of research. This might be related to the fact that the UK, via the GMC, takes research misconduct more seriously than most countries, except that the GMC is developing separate guidelines in that area, in association with the Royal College of Physicians. So the purpose of yet another set of guidelines, albeit ones that will be professionally binding on doctors, is unclear. The draft guidelines are available for comment until 21 June and are reprinted below.