About the Case Studies

This page is intended to be a guide to using the Case Studies, whether for ethical guidance or for academic study.

Introduction

Each Case Study begins with key information within a blue box:

Case: Case Studies are numbered in a sequence, beginning with Case 0001. It is not intended that readers infer any meaning attached to the order of Cases. New Cases which are similar to previously published Cases will be linked by a reference in the footer, but each will have a unique number.

Sector: The editors have assigned an industrial sector to each Case Study to indicate the provenance of the Case. The classification is that used by CILIP and may be updated as CILIP's industrial classification is revised.

Title and Key Issue: Following the sector classification the editors have given each Case Study a unique title and a very short description. The title is intended to be merely an aid to remembering a particular Case Study (e.g. 'The infopro knows best'), and to enable textual citations by those who may wish to refer to a Case. The title of a Case may emphasize one aspect of bias or conflict contained in the matter under discussion (e.g. 'The infopro knows best'), but it should not necessarily be interpreted as summarising the editors' opinions.

The short sentence which follows the title of each Case provides the reader with a quick overview of what the Case is about - the nub of the ethical dilemma, for example. It is intended to aid browsing the database of Case Studies.

Summary: The summary assigned to each Case Study gives the reader an impression of what the Case is about, what key issues are in question, and whether and how the Case may have been resolved.

Case Study: The detail of each Case Study is contained in this section. Here the editors describe the relevant background to each Case, the situation which has arisen, and any resolution. It is written from the perspective of the information professional or librarian or other person at the centre of the situation. This person's decision-making process is described, where known, to help the reader to understand how the situation arose and how the protagonist dealt with it.

The editors comment...: Following the general description of each Case Study the editors provide their considered opinions about the course of action taken by the person at the centre of the situation. They also comment on the roles of other actors involved in the situation, and relate the situation as it emerged to relevant sections of CILIP's Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Practice.

Additional editorial opinion and comments are given in this section, using the editors' broad knowledge of related ethical dilemmas elsewhere in the information ethics website and of other cases reported around the world. This section is intended to stimulate debate, and readers are encouraged to comment on the Case and on the editors' remarks. Readers' comments will be added in the hope of encouraging further discussion.

Footer: At the end of each Case Study the editors provide links to those sections of CILIP's Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Practice which are pertinent in the Case, as well as to related cases (in information ethics or elsewhere).

PDF: Each Case Study is accompanied by a PDF version. (If you do not have a PDF reader on our computer you can download Adobe Reader by clicking on the highlighted button.) The PDF version of each Case Study is intended for use in the classroom. Teachers and students are welcome to print and copy the Case Studies for classroom use provided copyright laws are not infringed. The editors welcome feedback from teachers and students on any of the Cases, and in particular would be grateful for contributions to the corpus of Case Studies.