As graduate students, we must conduct, discuss, and publish our research. Many potential traps await us. First, there are specific rules about how research is to be conducted. In the United States--whence this course originates--the rules are based on legislation that defines the falsifying of photos or data, for example, as federal crimes. But some rules vary from field to field. And some vary within a field from lab to lab. Consequently, one person cannot possibly know all of the applicable rules to every situation.

Second, the rules sometimes change without formal notice. Consequently, no one can keep up with all of them all of the time. Third, and most important, there are many puzzling situations for which there is no rule. How do you make wise decisions under those conditions?

The answer is that we rely on our peers and mentors. The scholarly community must warn us about dangers and guide us around obstacles. Our friends and colleagues must be able to direct us to those who know the relevant rules. And they must be looking over our shoulders when we need counsel or are tempted to cut a corner.

The community is a powerful resource, and OSRE will shortly introduce you to an online version of it. But right from the start we want to admit it is not perfect. Consider the circumstances in which genetics doctoral student Mary Allen found herself at a prominent Midwestern research university.