Reread this chapter’s “Communication Challenge” concerning Evelyn Tobin, the new editor at M-Global’s Cleveland office.
Now assume that you, as an electrical engineer at Evelyn’s office, have asked for her help in preparing an article for
publication in a professional journal. As you hand her the article, you are quick to add you have longstanding problems
organizing information and editing well.
Two days later the draft appears in your mailbox looking like your first graded paper in English 101 in college. Evelyn
has even provided a suggested outline for reorganizing the entire piece. On reading her comments and reviewing the
outline, you find that you agree with almost all of her suggestions. You follow her suggestions and proceed to meet with
her several times and show her three more drafts, including the final that she edits and proofs.
Feeling that she has done more on your article than she would normally do as part of her job responsibilities, Evelyn
diplomatically asks how you plan to acknowledge her work on the final published article. How do you respond to her? Do you
list her on the title page as coauthor, do you mention her in a footnote as an editor, or do you adopt some other
approach? Explain the rationale you give Evelyn after telling her your decision. What are the main ethical considerations
in making the decision?