Ethical Issues in Preparing the Research Report

  • Principles to follow
  • Justice—who will be the author(s)
  • Authorship based on contribution
  • If equal contribution, typically alphabetical order for presentation or publication.
  • Scientific integrity —accurate and honest reporting

*

 

Writing the Research Report

  • Presentation should be honest an written with integrity
  • Avoid plagiarism—not giving another person credit for their work
  • How to indicate another’s work
  • Quotation marks
  • Indented material

*

 

Scientific Fraud

  • Data Falsification
  • Fabricating the data
  • Not fully reporting data

 

    • Plagiarism
    • Presenting ideas or elements of another’s work as your own

 

    • Deliberate vs. non-deliberate (naive) = it’s all plagiarism
    • Ignorance & sloppiness are not legitimate excuses.

 

  • Cite sources of your ideas when you use the exact words (include quotation marks and page number) and when you paraphrase.

*

 

Plagiarism (continued)

Example of a Correctly Cited Direct Quote

 

“Informed by developments in case law, the police use various methods of interrogation — including the presentation of false evidence (e.g., fake polygraph, fingerprints, or other forensic test results; staged eyewitness identifications), appeals to God and religion, feigned friendship, and the use of prison informants” (Kassin & Kiechel, 1996, p. 125).

*

 

Plagiarism (continued)

Example of Plagiarism

(No Citation Accompanying Paraphrased Material)

 

Research investigations of deceptive interrogation methods to extract confessions are important because police use false evidence (e.g., fake test results) and false witnesses when interrogating suspects. Interrogators also pressure suspects by pretending to be their friends.

*

 

Plagiarism (continued)

Example of Paraphrased Material with Correct Citation

 

Research investigations of deceptive interrogation methods to extract confessions are important because police use false evidence (e.g., fake test results) and false witnesses when interrogating suspects (Kassin & Kiechel, 1996). Kassin and Kiechel also state that interrogators pressure suspects by pretending to be their friends.