1. Research Misconduct as a Retirement Prize What to do about it?

2. The case: A senior, close to retire, untalented and unhealthy colleague has falsified a series of measurements in a minor publication with no sensational results. He blames his boss for putting him under pressure to publish at least one paper/year. Failing to meet the targets means exclusion from sharing the special research money, plus a bulk of 400 h of teaching/year. Should we forgive? forget? denounce?

3. Betrayal either way: Fail to make him confess and you will be partly responsible for degrading ethical standards, betraying the scientific community Or betraying a colleague Keep each other's secrets or promote openness and integrity within the department? Ethical Problems and Conflicts in the group

4. Ethical Problems and Conflicts in general Consequence of the falsification getting exposed through: Confession - Chance to repair reputation to some extent Internal exposure - Strife but chance to protect department reputation External party - worst for reputation for both colleague and department If he is forced to teach the students will get a detached and unwilling teacher

5. Alternative solutions? OLE question 3: If letting the issue slide is not an option, then one could: ●Do a “by the book” report to higher authority… ○The “correct thing to do according to the rules. ○Not a real choice just following the book… ●Write your own article disproving the “old man’s” results. ○Scientific accuracy preserved and you gain an article! ○Moral grey-zone and shady practice….

6. What individuals and organisations will be affected? OLE question 4: ●The old man ●“You” - who are dealing with the issue ●Other colleagues ●The university ●The readers of the publication ●...

7. What values and standpoints are involved? OLE question 5: Old man“You”ColleaguesUniversityReaders Moral Scientific Economic Social

8. x 8 x 8 x 8 Effect of solution on values? OLE question 6: Let it slideReport!Disprove Moral Scientific Economic Social ●Depends on perspective… Here seen from “you” vs university / external world / old man.

9. 7: Improving a bad situation Discuss with another colleague Add correct data to your own research if it is close Try and try again to convince the older colleague to tell people. If not now then after retirement

10. What would you do? Would you tell the world and save that hypothetical poor PhD from trying to repeat impossible results? or would you focus on keeping the department together and not be branded as a whistleblower?