What to do with data from participants who have withdrawn form a research study?
You have just completed the final draft of a report one and half weeks before the submission deadline. You have asked a colleague to proofread/review the document before submitting to a selected journal. Almost a week passes before she returns the document with several positive comments. However, there is a slight concern about curious inconsistencies in the data results. Following close scrutiny, you recall this inconsistency was something caught early on in data collection. However, for unknown reasons, there was a failure to follow-up. Although, the newly discovered finding does not directly impact the main findings and interpretation, it may compromise the credibility of the study. Taking the role of the researcher, decide to act on one of the following options:
|  | You ignore the findings, and submit the report as written.
|  | You ignore the findings, and submit the report but add an addendum.
|  | You delay submitting the manuscript.