Q: Can you help with this matter of morals/ethics?

While your question is as serious and complex as any question around ethics, you haven’t provided more details, even if to suggest it’s around the ethics of research or research publication (which is what this forum and site are about). If it indeed is about research or research publication ethics, we have quite a few articles on the site as also questions by other researchers (and our responses to them) in the forum that you may look up, using the relevant keywords. We have provided a few here (close to the themes of being pushed against the wall and considering giving in or fighting suggested in your query), to get you started. In fact, the last piece, a researcher reflection, mentions a scenario that you might find hits home, where fortunately (for research ethics, at least), the researcher was able to resist/desist.

• Should research misconduct be considered a criminal offence?
• What action should I take if I am not being permitted to publish my research outcome?
• Can the order of the authors be changed after the ethics committee approval and before completing the study?
• I can write a statement of the problem on my supervisor

Additionally, you may also refer to the courses on R Upskill, a sister brand providing learning programs for various aspects of a researcher’s work and career, including ethics. Again, we have provided a few here (one a macro-look at matters of research ethics, the other a closer look through case studies). For more, you may look up the platform through a search.

• An overview of ethical issues in scientific research
• How to ensure ethical authorship when collaborating as researchers

Hope that helps. All the best in resolving the situation.