When you are thinking of trying something new, and you need to get reagents/information from someone else to do it, do you:
A) tell them that you are interested in trying something new and would like to try it with their stuff, and ask for info/reagents point-blank?
B) help yourself to their lab notebook, and then get all huffy when they ask what you're doing with it?
C) concoct some red herring about why you want their reagents/info in the first place which has little or nothing to do with what you're actually intending?
D) offer your help or collaboration on a marginally related project and hope that the info/reagents you actually need will just sort of rub off on you?
Just to make it a little more fun, does your answer change if you are requesting reagents/info from your labmate, someone in friendly neighbor lab, someone in unfriendly neighbor lab, or a complete stranger?
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- Ambivalent Academic
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13 comments:
I need some reagents from someone to run a thing. Let's go with the easiest, what I'd never do... I'd never go through their lab book.
I'd much rather ask them, see what they think, if they have any suggestions and then move from there.
then again, I'm not really a sneaky bastard. I tend to think that I can think something up, then probably others can too... and I positively hate doing unnessecary things so I'd rather ask for hints prior to banging my head against the wall.
Oh, and I would love to do trading things, maybe I could run an assay for them and they could run one for me?! ;)
Haha! B. Definitely B.
No seriously--I think in any of the situations besides "unfriendly neighbor," you should just ask. Don't necessarily give away your entire research plan, perhaps, but just test the waters and see what they say. For an unfriendly neighbor, you may want to talk to someone you're friendly with and who is also friendly with the people you need things from, as to the best way to approach them.
The first one, unless the person in question was seriously grumpy, in which case I'd whimp out and avoid it all together.
Definitely A. Unless it is my labmate who was on vacation in which case I would go through their notebook and take the stuff... and either tell them later, or make sure I put it back before they returned. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
I would answer A in all cases. Of course if it were a stranger I would introduce myself first! I would only suggest a collaboration if it was relevant and mutually beneficial - not as method to con reagents out of someone. How much I ask for and how depends on my relationship, but in all cases I try to be as upfront as I can.
I am happy to share my expertise and reagents (within reason). For a lab mate I am willing to give more of my time and resources towards helping them out.
Unfortunately some people do take and never give. I give what I can and I ask for what I need. Once an individual has denied a reasonable request I become "unfriendly" as far as that person is concerned.
Clearly, the answer is E: Seek Calif Governor's help to 'erase' person with reagents from 'the system'. Undergo face transplant. Assume erased person's identity. Voila! They are your reagents now.
A, even with an unfriendly neighbor. I'm a big believer in killing people with kindness and honesty. Eventually they'll learn to like me...
I always use A. Even for the not so friendly people where I require a little self pep talk before I head over into enemy territory.
Sometimes I'll just ask for advice on a protocol and if they hand me reagents great! If not, I'll ask where I can find/buy some and then they usually (if they are friendly) offer an aliquot. Because of this, I always hand out freebies to people seeking help too. Gotta pay it forward!
I'm an "A" in all cases too. Weirdly, some of my labmates like to fabricate stories about what they need stuff for. This is not the sort of lab where people are undermining each other - we all have plenty of room and latitude with our own projects, and so I'm happy share info and reagents. I'm asking this question in hopes of getting some other perspectives as to why anyone would do something *other* than A - so thanks for all your comments.
And this is why we are all sensible people and your labmates are not.
I would definitely say A. If it is a lab mate though, and I need to double check their methods and they are not around, I think it is perfectly appropriate to check their notebook as long as you do not have to go rifling through their things (although I also think everyone's lab notebooks should be easy to find and follow...). I always tell undergrads who work with me that they are free to look in my lab notebooks!
A, for sure.
Was there an actual incidence of someone going through someone else's lab book, or was that a hypothetical?
(Pleeeease tell me it was hypothetical... I mean I would always have been happy to show someone a specific page in my lab book, but ask, ask, ask! And I know some people who would write things like "[student X] is really pissing me off today" in the margins)
I wish I could say it was hypothetical, Cath. It was not. Thing is, I don't mind sharing *anything* in there if asked...but you wouldn't help yourself to someone's email inbox (or maybe you would?), so how is helping yourself to a lab notebook OK?? There's nothing to hide, but it still feels like a violation of privacy (the not asking, rather than the sharing of info therein). And the only horrible things I write in my lab notebook are things like: "MotherFUCK!! Reagent X was contaminated with an endonuclease, as evidenced by control number 2 and it ballsed up the entire fucking experiment and now I'll have to repeat it this weekend. Fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck!"
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