Research Cases for Use by the NIH Community

Theme 22 – Use of Human Biospecimens and Informed Consent (2022)

Theme 21 – Science Under Pressure (2021)

Theme 20 – Data, Project and Lab Management, and Communication (2020)

Theme 19 – Civility, Harassment and Inappropriate Conduct (2019)

  • Case 1: Gender Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Consenting Relationships
  • Case 2: Freedom of Expression and Civility in the Laboratory
  • Case 3: Biases in Mentoring of Fellows and Sexual Harassment
  • Study Guide (2019)

Theme 18 – Implicit and Explicit Biases in the Research Setting (2018)

  • Case 1: Gender Bias in Academia
  • Case 2: Responsible and Equitable Mentoring of Fellows
  • Case 3: Diversity and Bias – Approach to Disabilities
  • Case 4: Implicit/Unconscious Biases?

Theme 17 – Socially Responsible Science (2017)

  • Case 1: Deciding What Study Results to Publish and Transparency in Research Publication
  • Case 2: Handling Select Agents
  • Case 3: Research Competition and Reproducibility
  • Case 4: Societal Aspects of the Responsible Conduct of Research

Theme 16 – Research Reproducibility (2016)

Because this important topic is both broad and provocative, with issues that could be discussed for hours, discussion leaders and participants will need to identify ways to keep the discussion on schedule. Three potential alternative approaches to this are: (a) keep discussion of the entire case concise and well-paced; (b) discuss a selected subset of the sections, labeled by Roman numerals, that are the most relevant to the particular IC and audience, and/or use only selected questions; or, (c) dedicate more than one hour to discussing this case.

  • Case 1: Research Reproducibility

Theme 15 – Authorship and Collaborative Science (2015)

Theme 14 – Differentiating Between Honest Discourse and Research Misconduct and Introduction to Enhancing Reproducibility (2014)

  • Case 1: Handling of Images and Graphs
  • Case 2: A Technically Challenging Method Collides With a Hot Topic
  • Case 3: Handling of Clinical Data
  • Case 4: Sources of Potential Bias and Data Sharing
  • Case 5: Research Reproducibility I: Sample Composition and Reproducibility
  • Case 6: Research Reproducibility II: Prostate Cancer Serum Biomarker Study

Theme 13 – Data Management, Whistleblowers, and Nepotism (2013)

  • Case 1: Whistleblowers
  • Case 2: CLUES: Research Misconduct or Sloppy Science?
  • Case 3: Data Management in Clinical Studies
  • Case 4: Nepotism in the Training and Research Setting

Theme 12 – Mentoring (2012)

  • Case 1: Different Mentoring Styles
  • Case 2: Non-Academic Staff
  • Case 3: Intellectual Property
  • Case 4: Personal Relationships

Theme 11 – Authorship (2011)

Theme 10 – Science and Social Responsibility, Continued (2010)

  • Case 1: Potential Consequences of Epidemiological Studies
  • Case 2: Scientific Research and the Press
  • Case 3: Intellectual Property – Why Use an MTA

Theme 9 – Science and Social Responsibility – Dual Use Research (2009)

  • Case 1: Streptococcus pneumoniae Membrane Pump Sequence
  • Case 2: Pandemic Influenza Genomic Sequence
  • Case 3: An Unusual Wrinkle to Translational Research
  • Case 4: Cell-matrix Interaction and Tumor Growth & Metastasis

Theme 8 – Borrowing – Is It Plagiarism? (2008)

  • Case 1: Borrowing Results
  • Case 2: Borrowing Ideas
  • Case 3: Borrowing English

Theme 7 – Data Management and Scientific Misconduct (2007)

  • Case 1: Data Management of Computer-generated Files
  • Case 2: Handling of Images and Graphs
  • Case 3: Appropriate Use of Statistics
  • Case 4: Appropriate Sources of Data and Decision to Publish
  • Case 5: Handling of Clinical Data

Theme 6 – Ethical Ambiguities (2006)

  • Ethical Ambiguities

Theme 5 – Data Management (2005)

Theme 4 – Collaborative Science (2004)

  • Case 1: Basic-Clinical Collaboration
  • Case 2: When Does a Collaborator Deserve Authorship
  • Case 3: Equipment Sharing and Authorship
  • Case 4: Assays and Authorship
  • Case 5: Collaboration and Credit
  • Case 6: The Statute of Limitations

Theme 3 – Mentoring (2003)

  • Case 1: Different Supervising and Mentoring Styles
  • Case 2: Equal Treatment of Postdoctoral Fellows Sharing of Job Ads
  • Case 3: Work Hours and Schedules
  • Case 4: Mentoring of Technicians
  • Case 5: Intellectual Property Mentor’s Use of Fellow’s Research Proposal
  • Case 6: Future Collaborations for Tenuretrack Investigators
  • Case 7: Issues Related to CRADA Funding of Trainees
  • Case 8: Confirmation of Lab Results Request for Secrecy
  • Case 9: Handling of Personal Relationships in the Laboratory
  • Case 10: Dealing with A Substance Abuse Problem in the Laboratory
  • Useful Web Sites on Mentoring:

Theme 2 – Authorship (2002)

Theme 1 – Scientific Misconduct (2001)

This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 17, 2023