The Ethics Center has all seven volumes of Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries published by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE).
Feel free to contact Steve via phone @ 472-2104 or email if you'd like to borrow them.
About the Case Studies:
Since 1996, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics has worked with seven cohorts of graduate students and post doctoral fellows in the physical, natural and social sciences as well as engineering from over sixty research universities on a project in research ethics education funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant Numbers SBR-9421897 and SES-9817880). One byproduct of the work has been case studies and commentaries written by participants, generally drawing on their own experience.
The seven volumes include 101 cases in research ethics, along with commentaries, on a wide variety of topics which are suitable for use in the undergraduate and graduate classroom as well as for discussions in seminars on research ethics and for faculty development. Most cases involve some morally problematic behavior in research, but some cases involve analysis of someone “doing the right thing.”
The journal, Science and Engineering Ethics, has published several of the cases and commentaries. Each of the cases with commentaries appeared with an introduction by Brian Schrag and an additional commentary on the case by a participant, written especially for the journal issue. The first case, “Forbidden Knowledge,” appeared in Science and Engineering Ethics, (2003) Volume 9, Issue 3. The second case, “Barking up the Wrong Tree,” appeared in Science and Engineering Ethics, (2003) Volume 9, Issue 4. The third case, “The Gladiator Sparrow: Ethical Issues in Behavioral Research on Captive Populations of Wild Animals: A Case Study with Commentaries Exploring Ethical Issues and Research on Wild Animal Populations,” appeared in Science and Engineering Ethics, (2004) Volume10, Issue 4.
A Brief Summary: Topics & Titles of Cases Covered in the 7 Volumes
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 1 (1997)
Faculty Responsibility to Graduate Students
- “The Successful Side Business”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Faculty Collaboration with Students: Authorship
- “Informal Discussions/Formal Authority”
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “The Lisa Bach Case”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “To Publish Alone”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil
Collaboration, Intellectual Contribution, Authorship
- “Jack Fry’s Interview”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “The Temporary Post-Doc”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “So You Wanted To Be a Co-Author”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Intellectual Property, Collaboration
- “The Statute of Limitations”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “Ownership of Knowledge and Graduate Education”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “Protection from Proposal Idea Scooping?”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Research on Human Subjects -- Dead or Alive
- “Do the Ends Justify the Means? The Ethics of Deception in Social Science Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Ethical Issues in Longitudinal Research with At-Risk Children and Adolescents”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Blowing the Whistle on a Therapeutic Experiment”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “Informed Consent for Use of Stored Specimens”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “With Bones of Contention: Repatriation of Human Remains”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 2 (1998)
Authorship
- “When in Rome: Conventions in Assignment of Authorship”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Co-Authorship Controversy”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard - “Sherry’s Secret”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson
Intellectual Property
- “Bad Chemistry”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “To Review or Not: Reviewing the Competition”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “New Technology – Who Is the Designer?”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Mentor Relations
- “Questions on the Topic of Whistle Blowing”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “Confidentiality Concerns”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Today’s Specials”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch
Research on Animals and Humans
- “Counting Sheep: Ethical Problems in Animal Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Changing the Subject”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Informed Consent and the Collection of Biological Samples from Indigenous Populations”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “Scientific Research and the Autonomy of Indigenous Peoples: The Case of the Kennewick Man”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Compromising Research
- “Beyond Expertise: One Person’s Science, Another Person’s Policy”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard - “Crashing Into Law”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Barking Up the Wrong Tree? Industry Funding of Academic Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Incomplete Technical Presentation”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 3 (1999)
Laboratory Management of Research
- “Whose Lab Is It?”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “The Communism of Science”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Related Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “Hazardous Materials”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Mentor Responsibilities
- “ Mentor Support?”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “O, What a Tangled Web We Weave!”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch
Integrity in Research
- “Reviewer Confidentiality vs. Mentor Responsibilities: A Conflict of Obligations”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “Collaboration and Credit”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “Owing Your Soul to the Pharmaceutical Store”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Truth or Consequence”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Karen Muskavitch - “The Chance Meeting”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Human Subjects Research
- “Complex Concerns”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Deborah Johnson - “Ethical Issues in Research with Children”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Does HIV Affect All? Researchers’ Duty to Warn”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Political Points”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Policy Issues
- “Stuff and Things: Paying for Publication”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Admissions Committee”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard - “From Fundamental Physics to the Private Sector”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael Pritchard
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 4 (2000)
Research with Human and Animal Subjects
- “Music Therapy: Research on Human Subjects with Mental Disorders”
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Forbidden Knowledge”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “The Gladiator Sparrow: Ethical Issues in Behavioral Research on Captive Populations of Wild Animals”
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Mentor/Faculty Responsibilities
- “Who Controls Where Information Will be Published?”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil - “Who Framed Roger’s Data?”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “To Control or Not to Control?”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “The Final Exam”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “A Young Woman’s Struggle for Peace”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Fair Play”
Commentary by Vivian Weil
Mutual Responsibilities in Collaborative Research
- “In Need of a Helping Hand”
Commentary by Deborah Johnson
Authorship
- “A Single Author Paper”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil - “Student Publishes”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil
Professional Responsibilities in Consulting
- “Vote Early and Often”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “A Second Story”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard
Multiple Roles of Public Scientists
- “The Federal Scientist: Multiple Roles and Moral Issues”
Commentary by Deborah Johnson
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 5 (2001)
Research on Humans
- “An Impoverished Student”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “Pregnancy Results?”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “Crossing Cultural Barriers: Informed Consent in Developing Countries”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “But for the Fear of What You Might Find Out”
Commentary by Deborah G. Johnson - “PI or Private Investigator?”
Commentary by Brian Schrag
The Use of Animals
- “The Painful Experience”
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Authorship
- “Seminar”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Patent Authorship: Whose DNA Is It, Anyway?”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil - “To Be or Not to Be Included”
Commentary by Deborah G. Johnson
Relationships in the Lab
- “The Hardware Lab”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Much Obliged”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil - “Preliminary Data”
Commentary by Vivian M. Weil - “What a Site!”
Commentary by Deborah G. Johnson - “The Slave Driver vs. the Lazy Student”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard
Scientists' Social Responsibilities
- “A pHish Tale”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 6 (2002)
Faculty Responsibilities
- “Responsibilities to Undergraduate and Graduate Students”
Commentary by Deborah G. Johnson - “Friendship vs. Authorship”
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Graduate Student Laborer”
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Under-Prepared Student”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Making the Grade”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “How Much Help is Too Much?”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind - “Too Much Help is Not Enough”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Collegial Relations and Research Collaboration
- “Post-doc Blues”
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “The Rat Race”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “Richard’s Radioactive Risk”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch - “The Extended Project”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch
Authorship
- “Left in the Dark”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Authorship”
Commentary by Vivian Weil
Managing Grants
- “Travel Funds”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Salary Offsets”
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard
Research on Animals
- “What Is Your Drive? Science or Ethics?”
Commentary by Karen M.T. Muskavitch
Research in Industry
- “The Lease of Their Problems”
Commentary by P. Aarne Vesilind
Data and Subject Confidentiality
“Paper or Plastic? From Paper Records to Electronic Database”
Commentary by Deborah G. Johnson“A DNA Dilemma”
Commentary by Brian Schrag“Share and Share Alike?”
Commentary by Brian Schrag“The Company That Cared Too Much”
Commentary by Brian Schrag
Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries, Volume 7 (2006)
Research on the Internet
- “Conducting Research in Online Communities”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag - “Ethical Issues in Incorporating Online Information with Interview-Based Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Ullica Segerstral
Invasion of Privacy
- “Student Unit Record Databases: Ethical Implications and Considerations”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Barry Bull - “Keeping Things Private”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Ullica Segerstrale
Avoiding the IRB
- “Oral History Projects and Research Involving Human Subjects”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Peter Finn - “Bypassing the IRB”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Peter Finn
Students in Research
- “Ethical Issues in Student Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Research on Linguistic Profiling of Terrorists”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil
Research Across Cultures
- “What We Have Here is a Failure to Collaborate”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh - “Ethical Issues in International Educational Research”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Barry Bull - “Ethical Considerations: When Epistemological Systems Collide”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Frederika Kaestle
Uncovering Wrongdoing
- “Ethical Issues in Discovering Criminal Behavior During Interviews”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Vivian Weil - “To Tell or Not to Tell”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Ullica Segerstrale - “The Case of the Over Eager Collaborator”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Frederika Kaestle - “Challenges in Obtaining Informed Consent: The Case of Forest Resources in Zigiwan”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh
Conflicting Roles of Researchers
- “Ethical Considerations with Archaeology and Community Conflict”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh - “Family Decision-Making about End-of-Life Care”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Michael S. Pritchard - “Ethical Issues in Psychological Research with Sexual Minorities”
Participant Commentary
Commentary by Brian Schrag