The researchers have the responsibility to protect the participants all throughout

the study. The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American

Psychological Association (APA) noted that researchers must be concerned with the

well-being and protection of their respondents and the awareness of the individuals

involved regarding ethical standards of the discipline (Drew, Hardman, & Hosp, 2008).

Based on the third Economic and Social Research Council ethics principle, the

confidentiality of information provided by the respondents and their anonymity must be

respected (The Research Ethics Guide Book, n.d.). Virginia Tech (2017) also stated that

maintaining the confidentiality of information collected from research participants implies

that only the researchers would know the responses of each individual subjects.

Moreover, providing anonymity of information collected from research participants

indicates that the study would not collect identifying information of respondents such as

name, age, address, etc., or the project should not link participants’ responses with their

identities. Nevertheless, before this process can be applied, the participants should be

willing to take part in the study. Through informed consent, participants would

understand their purpose in the study, the potential risks and benefits of their

involvement, and their alternatives to participation (UNC Charlotte, 2017). These ethical

standards would prevent a fabrication of data and consequently, promote the search for

knowledge and truth which is the primary goal of research (Resnik, 2015).

To uphold these ethical standards in the study, the researchers would first give

each respondent a consent form that briefly explains the objectives of the survey,

provides a clear and comprehensive explanation of the research, and how they have

been chosen as participants. The researchers would also make sure that the
respondents are willing to answer the given survey-questionnaire. Through this

procedure, the researchers can ensure that the data gathering would proceed smoothly

and efficiently. After the data collection, the researchers would observe the proper

etiquette and protocol of doing research such as maintaining the anonymity of the

participants, confidentiality of the data gathered and security of ideas.

Through the confidentiality of information and survey results obtained from the

participants, voluntary participation, withdrawal right, informed consent, and not using of

any sorts of deception or trickery against the participants, the researchers can ensure

that the data gathered is effective and free of errors. The implementation of these ethics

would not only benefit the data gathered for the study of the researchers but also bring

advantage to the respondents as they are the main beneficiaries of the study.

Drew, C. J., Hardman, M. L., & Hosp, J. L. (2008). Ethical Issues in Conducting

Research. In Designing and Conducting Research in Education (p. 57).

Resnik, D. B. (2015). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important?. Retrieved

from: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/
The Research Ethics Guide Book (n.d.). Confidentiality. Retrieved from

http://www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk/Confidentiality-73.

UNC Charlotte. (2017). Informed Consent. Retrieved from

https://research.uncc.edu/departments/office-research-compliance-orc/human-

subjects/informed-consent.

Virginia Tech. (2017). Protecting Confidentiality & Anonymity. Retrieved from

http://www.irb.vt.edu/pages/confidentiality.htm.