Hi Marie: well, since you brought it up, I had actually replied by back channel that as chair of our IRB I have voted to fail to approve a study which I thought was so badly confounded that the results could not be interpreted. My feeling is that this is a human subjects protection issue. Why should any person participate in a study from which there can be no possible usable results? That to me is an abuse of human subjects in terms of their time and energy.
As chair I take the added work upon myself to provide detailed feedback to the PI and invite a resubmission. I have yet to have a complaint; most PIs are grateful to have someone else catch what could have been a costly mistake--and this has occasionally included very badly worded questionnaires, where the ambiguity of the items would have led the researcher to have uninterpretable findings. Every single one has cleaned up their study and resubmitted! So while this may not get at the actual question that was being asked, I do think it is pertinent, but DO NOT WANT TO GET THIS DISCUSSION TO FAR OFF TOPIC!!!! Annette Quoting Marie Helweg-Larsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Hi Trisha > I don't have any specific examples to share but as a member of the IRB I > often come upon student research (supervised by senior colleagues) that > is bad science. Students should be allowed to make mistakes (especially > when they are doing harmless surveys) but these are mistakes that I > think a supervising professor should correct (like poorly worded > questions, inappropriately asking true/false questions, etc.) I never > know how to deal with this (and frequently don't do anything) because > the problem is not an ethical concern and I'm only looking at the > proposal in that capacity (I know that it can occasionally be an ethical > concern to waste time collecting useless data but the examples I have > experienced have not fit into this category). Anyone has any thoughts > on dealing with such problems? > Marie > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Dear Tipsters, > > > > > > > > Have any of you made the difficult decision to informally intervene > > with a colleague or student when you suspected that a research project > > was being conducted in a way that would lead to invalid results? By > > �bad science,� along with the most often discussed forms of scientific > > misconduct (i.e., fabrication and falsification), I include such acts > > as carelessness, poor supervision of assistants, and incompetence�and > > these could occur without any wrongful intent. > > > > > > > > I am collecting examples of collegial attempts to prevent �bad > > science� that worked out well (that is, an action that could have > > corrupted the research record was avoided without negative > > consequences for anyone) as well as instances where things didn�t turn > > out so well. Or--and this may be trickier to describe--if you > > observed such an act and did not get involved, did you have regrets or > > feel guilty? (I confess that I have turned aside a time or two, not > > wanting to get involved in what could have gotten sticky, and feel a > > strange kind of misgiving still.) > > > > > > > > I would greatly appreciate any accounts that you would be willing to > > share, and will totally respect your confidentiality. (Please do not > > supply any identifying information. If you only want me to see your > > response, don�t push the reply button.) > > > > > > > > I would REALLY appreciate any help here. > > > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > > > Patricia Keith-Spiegel, PhD > > > > Visiting Professor of Psychology > > > > Department of Psychiatry > > > > Harvard Medical School > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To > > unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > -- > ********************************************* > Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. > Associate Professor of Psychology > Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 > Carlisle, PA 17013 > Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 > ********************************************* > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
