Case Study 01: A Change of Plans

Yoshio came back from a brief summer vacation convinced that he would be able to finish up his Ph.D. in one more semester. Though he had not discussed the status of his thesis with his adviser or any other member of his thesis committee since the spring, he was sure they would agree that he could finish up quickly. In fact, he had already begun drawing up a list of companies to which he planned to apply for a research position.

However, when his research adviser heard about his plans, she immediately objected. She told him that the measurements he had made were not going to be enough to satisfy his dissertation committee. She said that he should plan to spend at least two more semesters on campus doing additional measurements and finishing his dissertation.

Yoshio had always had a good working relationship with his adviser, and her advice had been very helpful in the past. Plus, he knew that he would need a good recommendation from her to get the jobs that he wanted. But he couldn’t help but wonder if her advice this time might be self-serving, since her own research would benefit greatly from the additional set of measurements.

1.Should Yoshio try to change his adviser’s mind? For example, should he review what his measurements already show and compare that with what the new measurements would add and then ask his adviser to reconsider?

2.Should Yoshio talk with other members of his thesis committee to get their opinions?

3.What actions could Yoshio have taken earlier to avoid the problem?

4.What actions can Yoshio take now to avoid future disappointment?

●　Source::

On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine ISBN: 0-309-11971-5, 82 pages, 6 x 9, (2009) This free PDF was downloaded from:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192.html

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Japanese edition Research_Ethics01.html

A Change of Plans; Japanese translation note

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Notes: This case example is cited and codified from "US National Academy of Sciences, On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition, 2009."

2020 Ethics for Academic Research (in English)