»Questions & Answers«
Case Study 1: Truth or Consequences
Case Study 2: In the Field, No One Will Know
»Case Study 1: Truth or Consequences«
1: How can the pressure to publish influence the conduct of research? »Answer
2: Was it appropriate for Dr. Chan to promise Samantha second authorship based on performing some assays? »Answer
3: Trust is one of the central issues in science. What might Julio have done to feel better about working with Samantha if he didn't think highly of her? »Answer
4: At this point, it remains unclear whether Samantha has done anything wrong, even though she did not follow Julio's instructions to let him do the second analytic experiment. What action should Julio take? »Answer
5: Data collection and management are important issues in the responsible conduct of research. Independent of the possibility that Samantha might have engaged in manipulating research data, what is the major problem in the way she kept her laboratory notebook? »Answer
6: What is misconduct? If it is found that Samantha engaged in misconduct, is Julio also guilty of misconduct, because he did not report his concerns earlier? »Answer
7: If science is self-correcting, as it is in this case study, why are there federal laws and regulations against misconduct? »Answer
8: It seems clear that there was a problem with Samantha's data. What should Julio do now? »Answer
»Case 1: Questions for Further Reflection«
1: Have you ever taken shortcuts to produce results under pressure-filled conditions?
2: How do you think you would feel about accusing a colleague of misconduct?
3: Do you know whom you would speak to in case you had suspicions of misconduct by a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, laboratory head, or department head?
»Case Study 2: In the Field, No One Will Know«
1: How do you think the testing aspect of the research project could have been improved? »Answer
2: Why is the training of survey researchers so important? »Answer
3: How might technology contribute to the possibility of fabrication of research results? »Answer
4: How else do you think the study design might have been improved to prevent potential fabrication or falsification? »Answer
5: Do you think that there was anything else Dr. Lockheart could have done to lessen Sandra's concerns? »Answer
6: Do you think that Sandra thought she was doing anything wrong? »Answer
7: This case study shows that the results of research are not always what was expected. Why is that an important lesson? »Answer
8: What are some of the consequences of Sandra's actions? »Answer
»Case 2: Questions for Further Reflection«
1: What are some of the ways to design a research survey to reduce the possibility that fabricated information is included?
2: How do you think a finding of misconduct affects the researchers' colleagues and the institution where the misconduct occurred?
3: How do you maintain awareness of your own behavior in order to ensure that you are following the best research practices?
Continue to the next section: → Annotated Case Studies