Prompt
You are writing an undergraduate thesis on academic dishonesty. Your supervisor suggests telling students that your anonymous survey is about "study habits," because people answer less honestly when they know the real topic. Would you agree to this?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Critical thinking
- Professionalism and integrity
How to approach this question
This research ethics question tests whether you'll accept deception in a study when it makes the results more accurate and your supervisor is the one suggesting it. Name the interests: students who give their time and trust, the quality of your thesis, your supervisor's experience, and the public's trust in research. Separate a vague description of a study from a false one, and ask whether the topic truly needs to be hidden or whether careful wording would work. Consider the safeguards researchers use, like telling participants the true purpose afterward and getting ethics board approval before deceiving anyone. Weigh the harm of a misleading label against the value of honest answers about academic dishonesty. Then give a clear answer with conditions, and say how you'd raise your view respectfully with your supervisor.
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