| Abstract: | The recent study on sexism in graduate admissions by Lunneborg and Lillie (see record 1990-57047-001) raised what I believe to be an increasingly frequent ethical problem: the erosion of confidentiality and privacy in the name of data collection. As a departmental chairman, I write perhaps more than my share of letters of recommendation to a variety of graduate schools, agencies, and employers. In nearly every case, the accompanying form or request contains the assurance that the letter and its information will be held "in confidence." It is not my understanding of confidence for "two experienced Testing Bureau raters" to transcribe or code such letters from confidential folders, much less to reproduce one in its entirety in the pages of a journal, complete with disparaging footnote. Perhaps the writer did not mind the surprise of seeing his letter so reproduced; perhaps he did. But I am willing to assume that he had not written it with any such expectation. Continued practices of this nature can only make us increasingly willing to include only the most uncontroversial statements and bland observations in our written responses to requests for recommendations and other information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
