A research group publishes a couple of papers on an important discovery in two different high-impact journals. A new graduate student is given the task of reproducing and extending the work of the advisor and a postdoc. After several weeks of experimentation, he realizes that he cannot reproduce the work reported earlier. He even has an explanation for the error.
Questions
What is the optimum course of action for the student?
What is the optimum course of action for the advisor?
What is the optimum course of action for the postdoc, who in the interim, has left to take up a new job?