Paying for data analysis help

[FreudianSlippers]

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Hello all!

I was wondering how legitimate it was to pay for outside consultation regarding data analysis for a student project (i.e. Master's thesis or dissertation)? For example, if somebody is doing complicated data analysis for their dissertation project and their program lacks support for this, would it be ethical for the student to pay a statistician or data analysis expert for their advice or help?

On the outside this seems like it would be okay, but I was wondering if this could be considered some sort of cheating or even plagiarism? I'd love to hear thoughts about this!

 

[deleted343839]

Totally legitimate. Make sure to acknowledge the assistance in your dissertation and future publications. And choose wisely! A lot of people do this kind of consulting, so you should ask around and vet someone before you part with your money.

 

[Lurking Oracle]

I agree with MamaPhD. Also, be certain that your consultant explains everything that s/he did or recommended, particularly if it involves analyses that are very complex, highly specialized, or not widely used. And, you should be able to comfortably explain what was done. With a thesis or dissertation, you are solely responsible for defending the content and conclusions.

 

[FreudianSlippers]

Makes sense, thanks so much for the advice 🙂

 

[BuckeyeLove]

check with your university stats department; sometimes they will offer deals to students.

 

[FreudianSlippers]

check with your university stats department; sometimes they will offer deals to students.

Good call. The only problem is I am leaving soon for internship, going to be in a different state. My internship is at another University, maybe I can check theirs?

 

[TiptoeConqueror]

I wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone else had thoughts about consultation services. I'm currently feeling unsure of my proposed analyses for my dissertation (data has already been analyzed) and am wondering if some professional could look it over to ensure I won't get a "why did you choose X analysis over Y?" question (or at least talk me through the rationale so I can confidently say why). I obviously had input from my chair about the analyses but need more reassurance. I'm currently out of state from my program and would like to know if this is ethical. I don't want to do anything that would fall into a gray area.

 

[deleted343839]

I wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone else had thoughts about consultation services. I'm currently feeling unsure of my proposed analyses for my dissertation (data has already been analyzed) and am wondering if some professional could look it over to ensure I won't get a "why did you choose X analysis over Y?" question (or at least talk me through the rationale so I can confidently say why). I obviously had input from my chair about the analyses but need more reassurance. I'm currently out of state from my program and would like to know if this is ethical. I don't want to do anything that would fall into a gray area.

Ethically, you should also consider the alternative implications of NOT checking your stats when you are uncertain about analytic strategy!

I think it's reasonable to share your decision with your committee chair, but ultimately it's your data and the dissertation is in your name. I don't see a problem with getting consultation for the reasons you described.