"What is Science?", & "Open Exchange", American Journal of Physics,

vol 67, no 8, Aug, 1999, p 659  :

  "Science is the systematic enterprise of gathering knowledge about
the world and organizing and condensing that knowledge into testable
laws and theories.  The success and credibility of science is
anchored in the willingness of scientists to:

 1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and
     replication by other scientists; this requires the complete and
     open exchange of data, procedures and materials;

 2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more
     complete or reliable experimental evidence.

  Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for
self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of
science.