3

I have been working very hard on my thesis and I have reached a point with my data where I am required to code.

I am no where near experienced in coding, and there is also not enought time left to learn it.

Simply, the coding is required to re-format the information and figures I already have.

I have used an external source (freelancer) to re-format my data and provide instructions as to how he has done it. I asked for instructions so I could carry out the task myself, and the reformatted data so I could check this against my work. Now, I am not sure if this is ethical and could compromise my degree?

I have not used the re-formatted data or instructions yet - as I am now unsure. I want to ask my supervisor about the ethics of using external assistance but I am unsure if this is a good idea?

In order to re-order my information and make it easier to process my initial formula instead of the manual way which I have been doing (there are close to 980,000 rows), the excel freelancer constructed a macro to essentially do the same work (which I still have not completed manually). I 100% want to give credit, and of course do not want to do anything unethical which is why I am asking here for advice.

What I mean by reformat is creating a macro/code that performs a process. I have been doing this manually and have not scratched the surface considering the large volume of data. The creation of the macro gives the same answers I have been getting manually. So essentially it is not creating anything new, except for the macro. I hope this clarifies things. Again, I do not want to pass any work as my own so I would appreciate any more advice!

What concerns me is that I paid this freelancer to create the macro, a very small fee. Nonetheless, it does not sit right with me. So, What exactly should I explain to my supervisor? Should I mention I have already found someone? Or will this raise suspicion?

Cape Code
  • 27,102
  • 8
  • 98
  • 151
Jane Doe
  • 31
  • 3
  • 1
    What do you mean by "re-format"? Has the coder essentially just made aesthetic changes to your figures (and restructured the data to allow this)? I largely suspect that there's no problem here, but I'd be hesitant to tell you that it's fine when the details are a little vague. It would be perfectly fine to ask your supervisor for clarification though. As you've said, you've not used the figures yet, so if there is a problem then you know now not to use them. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 08:30
  • What's not ethical is passing (explicitly or implicitly) other people's work as yours. That being said, as long as only cosmetic changes (e.g. changing the style or labels of your figures, renaming table headers, switching the order of columns in a table, etc) have been made, you should be okay. But if this reformatting included some sort of analysis, or non-trivial modification, of your data, then you need to give credit where credit is due. – 101010111100 Oct 24 '16 at 08:43
  • Raise suspicion of what? – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 09:23
  • If you have to do some arithmetic for your thesis, is it any different if you do it by hand or if you use a calculator? What if you buy the calculator especially? I'm not sure I understand your concern that paying a fee for this help changes things. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 09:34
  • You can respond to mine (or anybody's) comments by clicking the Add Comment link below your question. If you specifically want to reply to me then including @Ian_Fin in the reply will ensure I'm notified of your response. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 09:35
  • Maybe I'm under the impression that I cannot seek external advice, let alone pay for it - hence why I am worried I've done something wrong or worst yet, cheated. This is my ultimate worry/concern as I have worked incredibly hard for my masters until now. Is my assumption about paying for assistance wrong then? @Ian_Fin Also, do you have any advice how I should approach my supervisor about this? Many thanks, – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 09:42
  • @JaneDoe It's perfectly acceptable to seek external advice. Seeking advice from people whose expertise is different to your own is an extremely common part of academic work. Where it becomes problematic is when you don't acknowledge that the advice came from someone else, and you (even inadvertently) pass it off as your own. I don't see that the fee changes this at all. As for how to approach your supervisor, see the final paragraph of my answer. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 09:45
  • Hi @Ian_Fin ok thank you very much. my last question is, should I mention in my email to my supervisor that I have already reached out, paid and obtained instructions how to create the macro and know would like to confirm whether it is acceptable to use this or not? My main concern is if he says no it is not acceptable to use it, then does this leave me in a bad situation where if I actually end up working out the macro myself, how is my supervisor to know if I honestly did it myself or used the macro provided by the freelancer? – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 09:56
  • I think it would be okay to write an email asking whether doing what you've described is acceptable. You don't need to say that you've done it, but don't make it sound like you haven't done it either, and if your supervisor asks whether or not you've done it then be prepared to be honest. In the event that it is against the rules, and you manage to produce the macro yourself, your supervisor may have difficulty proving that you didn't (or did) write the macro yourself. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 10:14
  • Hi @Ian_Fin, thank you. I have put together an email saying exactly what I have on this thread and ended with ' So my question is, I would like to know what the ethics are in seeking assistance with the coding of the excel sheet (which is what I have done, but not yet used)? I have not used the information as part of my thesis and if it is something that should not be used then I am happy to continue carrying this out manually, as I am conscious of carrying everything out ethically as I have continued to do within all of my academic studies. '. I think it might be better to be honest. – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 10:16
  • @Ian_Fin when I think about it, There is no way I will be able to create the macro on my own. So I feel there is actually no reason to worry about my supervisor proving my macro later on, as I would not be able to create it myself. Do you think this is a good approach? I really appreciate your help with all of this. – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 10:18
  • In that case, you might as well tell them what you've done and ask them if it's okay. – Ian_Fin Oct 24 '16 at 10:22
  • 2
    Possible duplicate of Is it ethically questionable for me (an undergraduate) to hire "research assistants"? – Cape Code Oct 24 '16 at 12:15
  • @CapeCode Hi, I dont think this is anywhere near the question you have tagged. – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 14:37
  • Thank you ever so much @Ian_Fin . I have emailed my supervisor and will see what he says. Thank you! – Jane Doe Oct 24 '16 at 14:37
  • One thing to note is that if this analysis done by an outside person actually affects your data, beyond cosmetics, you are still the one responsible for the accuracy and any validation necessary to verify the program is working as expected. If this type of analysis is commonly used in your field, you at least need to understand it well enough to know it's working properly, even if you are slow/inefficient at doing it yourself. Finally, if your data contains any protected content - from human subjects, for example - then you are likely against IRB protocols and very much in trouble. – Bryan Krause Oct 24 '16 at 20:12

3 Answers3

6

From what you've said in your question, it doesn't sound like there's a problem here. You said the information and the figures are your own, you've just had some assistance with making the data easier to work with.

It doesn't sound like what's been done is much different than if someone had pointed out that Excel already has a function that does what you were doing in a more streamlined fashion. Of course, this would be perfectly fine.

It's quite common for a student to have had the help of someone else in the course of working towards their thesis. This is particularly the case in technical matters like coding. You just have to make sure that you acknowledge their assistance appropriately (typically, by saying in your Acknowledgements that they provided assistance with your data). It's perfectly acceptable to get help from other people in your work. Seeking advice from people whose expertise is different to your own is an extremely common part of academic work. Where it becomes problematic is when you don't acknowledge that the advice came from someone else, and you (even inadvertently) pass it off as your own. I don't see that the fee changes this at all.

If you want to know for certain that this is acceptable then you should obviously ask your supervisor. Just explain the situation in full and ask "Is it okay to include this work in my thesis?" The thesis has not been submitted yet. So in the case that what you have done is inappropriate then no damage has been done. You would just ensure that the figures that appear in the thesis were not those that the freelancer produced.

Ian_Fin
  • 1,870
  • 15
  • 19
2

When in doubt, give credit.

As Ian_Fin states, this doesn't sound like an ethical problem. But it never hurts to be explicit in stating, either as a citation, or as an acknowledgement, that you had assistance.

There are two cases here. Either there is no problem, and giving an explicit acknowledgement changes nothing to do with your thesis, or there was a problem, and you've made the ethically correct decision by being honest about it.

Unless you're getting a degree in Excel formatting, and showing that ability was the point of the thesis, I don't see this as a likely problem.

Joey Eremondi
  • 1,539
  • 1
  • 11
  • 22
1

If you can manipulate a smaller dataset, say 20 rows, to reach the same stage of data manipulation, which you reach after the excel help, there is no new subject matter content added by the excel helper.

It might hurt if you mention it, verbally or in writing, because one can never be sure how much the reader would understand about the extent of help received.

But be sure to not use the excel file directly provided by the excel expert. Use the given instructions and generate it yourself, so that you can ensure repeatibility of the analysis as well as instruct others, if need be. If you cannot do it without help from that person, there would be no option than to acknowledge the assistance.

DS R
  • 372
  • 1
  • 4