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Research Methods STA630

Lesson 13

ETHICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH

Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our

relationships with others. The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers

adverse consequences from research activities. This objective is usually achieved. However, unethical

activities are pervasive and include violating nondisclosure agreements, breaking respondent

confidentiality, misrepresenting results, deceiving people, invoicing irregularities, avoiding legal

liability, and more.

As discussed earlier, ethical questions are philosophical questions. There is no general agreement

among philosophers about the answers to such questions. However the rights and obligations of

individuals are generally dictated by the norms of society. Societal norms are codes of behavior

adopted by a group; they suggest what a member of a group ought to do under given circumstances.

Nevertheless, with changing situations people continue differing with each other whereby societal

norms may undergo changes. Codes and regulations guide researchers and sponsors. Review boards

and peer groups help researchers examine their research proposals for ethical dilemmas. Responsible

researchers anticipate ethical dilemmas and attempt to adjust the design, procedures, and protocols

during the planning process rather than treating them as afterthought. Ethical research requires personal

integrity from the researcher, the project manager, and the research sponsor.

Codes of ethic applicable at each stage of the research

Goal

To ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities

Unethical activities

Violating nondisclosure agreements.

Breaking respondent confidentiality.

Misrepresenting results.

Deceiving people.

Invoicing irregularities.

Avoiding legal liability.

Ethical Issues

Remain to be issues.

Local norms suggest what ought to be done under the given circumstances.

Codes of ethics developed to guide researchers and sponsors.

Review Boards and peer groups help sorting out ethical dilemmas.

Anticipate ethical dilemmas

Adjust the design, procedures, and protocols accordingly.

Research ethics require personal integrity of the researcher, the project manager, and research

sponsor.

Parties in Research

Mostly three parties:

The researcher

The sponsoring client (user)

The respondent (subject)

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Research Methods STA630

Interaction requires ethical questions.

Each party expects certain rights and feels certain obligations.

General Rights and Obligations of Parties Concerned

In most research situations, three parties are involved: the researcher, the sponsoring client (user), and

the respondent (subject). The interaction of each of these parties with one or both of the other two

identifies a series of ethical questions. Consciously or consciously, each party expects certain rights and

feels certain obligations towards the other parties.

Interaction of rights and obligations of parties in research

Obligations

Subject

Researcher

Client

Rights

Ethical Treatment of Participants

When ethics are discussed in research design, we often think first about protecting the rights of the

participant, respondent, or subject. Whether data are gathered in an experiment, interview, observation,

or survey, the respondent has many rights to be safeguarded. In general the research must be designed

so that a respondent does not suffer physical harm, discomfort, pain, embarrassment, or loss of privacy.

To safeguard against these, the researcher should follow three guidelines;

1. Explain study benefits.

2. Explain respondent rights and protections.

3. Obtain informed consent.

Benefits:

Whenever direct contact is made with a respondent, the researcher should discuss the study's benefits,

being careful to neither overstate nor understate the benefits. An interviewer should begin an

introduction with his or her name, the name of the research organization, and a brief description of the

purpose and benefit of the research. This puts the respondent at ease, lets them know to whom they are

speaking, and motivates them to answer questions truthfully. In short, knowing why one is being asked

questions improves cooperation through honest disclosure of purpose. Inducements to participate,

financial or otherwise, should not be disproportionate to the task or presented in a fashion that results in

coercion.

Sometimes the actual purpose and benefits of the study or experiment must be concealed from the

respondents to avoid introducing bias. The need for concealing objectives leads directly to the problem

of deception.