NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology

ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT

Understanding Research
Ethics
RES 100D - Research Methods for Architecture

BY

TAN, ROSALINDA G.
19-00197
10-17-22
INTRODUCTION TO REASEARCH
TAN, ROSALINDA G. 10/17/2022

Chapter 3

UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH ETHICS

End Chapter Questions:

1. Why is ethics valuable in research?

Ethics in research helps promote the study's goal and ensure that the research produces a body
of knowledge or facts. An example of how ethics are implemented to promote research is the
prevention of the fabrication of data. In addition, ethics in research stimulates moral interaction
between the researcher and society. Appropriate values that encourage respect, trust, responsibility,
and fairness are instilled in the researcher and the respondents. Ethics also helps avoid any copyright
or intellectual property issues because it encourages integrity and collaboration between researchers.
Ethics in research promotes responsibility as it holds appropriate persons liable for any misconduct.
Persons who can be held accountable include government or higher institutions promoting research
misconduct. Ethics also boost public support because if proper research ethics are applied, integrity
and responsibility are instilled. The public will be motivated to assist not only via financial means but
any other help due to their confidence in the research.

2. Prepare a checklist for ethical reflection in research?

A researcher must be cautious, meaning the researcher must be aware of the possible Hazards
and potential harm that the study may bring and should have prepared any countermeasures against
such hazards. Aside from being cautious, a researcher must also practice integrity. Integrity and
honesty are the backbones of ethical research. Upon starting a research, the researcher must think
critically and only use facts. The researcher should also avoid bias and data manipulation to suit the
results the researcher wanted. Without integrity, it will be for naught as readers, and another
researcher may deem the study as not viable if the author is not a person of integrity. Another trait that
a researcher must have is being transparent. Being transparent is also in line with having integrity
because transparency means that all of the information regarding the study is released. Moreover,
readers on their own can see the study's progress and the details methods, ethics, and used by the
researcher. Thus integrity is promoted by being transparent. Last but not least, a researcher must be
responsible. This is because the institution gives a researcher power, and as l such restrictions have
been removed. Responsible use of power should be promoted to avoid any potential harm to the
respondents. Restrictions and regulations are there for a reason. Therefore, as a person trusted by an
institution, a researcher should step up and be responsible with the power.

3. Differentiate anonymity and confidentiality.

Anonymity means that a respondent is presented as an anonymous person, meaning no
Information or data about the personal life of respondent should be collected by the researcher while
confidentiality means that unauthorized person or persons other than the researcher should not be able
to link the answer of the respondents back to them, meaning the answer of individual participants
remains "confidential". In summary, anonymity promises that no personal data should be collected
while Confidentiality promises that other people should not be able to tell the identity of the person
who gave a certain response.

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4. What questions can a researcher ask during an ethical reflection on engagement with his
research participants?
When participating with research respondents, the researcher should always include in his
ethical reflection is whether the population of the respondents is suitable for the field of study being
undergone. The next question should be, what are the possible hazard or harm that may come to the
respondents throughout the study. Then moving on to, did I brief my respondents well about the nature
and what they might undergo throughout the research process before asking for their consent to
participate. And lastly, Can I implement anonymity and confidentiality to protect my respondents
throughout the study. These are the question that a researcher should ask in an ethical reflection to
make sure that the researcher is practicing proper research ethics at all parts of the research.

5. Discuss the ethical concern on the principle of informed consent.

The principle of informed consent reiterates that before asking whether a respondent can
Participate or not, all the terms of the research should be disclosed. Terms such as the topic of the
study, the respondent's role, and possible outcomes or consequences that the study may bring to the
respondent should be disclosed fully to the respondent before asking the respondent to decide whether
the respondent will participate. In summary, the researcher must discuss the whole study process
before seeking consent from the respondent.

6. Why is power a fundamental ethical issue in research?

Power is a fundamental issue because once a researcher is bestowed upon a power, a
researcher is granted ease upon some restrictions by higher institutions. Ease on gatekeeping, on
substances that need regulation that the researcher can use in the research, and furthermore. And as
such, issues such as power exploitation might arise because humans are not perfect, and because of
this power exploitation, the researcher can abuse respondents, such as the case during the World War
II wherein Nazis decided to perform biological experimentations on the Jews. Therefore, it's possible
for greed to enter a human being and, as such, affects his decision-making, which is why power
presents fundamental ethical issues in research.

7. What is the impact to a research if there are suspicions of plagiarism on it?

The whole essence of the research may be in jeopardy once there are suspicions of plagiarism
in research. Such happens because utmost honesty and integrity must always be practiced in any part
of it when doing research. Hence, once a researcher is suspected of plagiarism, it is deemed that the
researcher is not practicing proper research ethics and methods as stated by the different codes of
ethics published for research.

8. Discuss the potential harm of a research that is being conducted in the field of medicine.
The field of medicine involves life in general, humans, animals, plants, and all living things
found on earth. As such, research in the field of medicine usually requires involvement in life.
Therefore, research conducted in the field of medicine can potentially harm life. For example, when
developing a new drug, clinical trials are required involves humans, but way before that, extraction of
raw materials may cause damage to the environment. The next step would be testing the drug on
animals, which may damage the animals or, worse, kill them. Another potential harm is the abuse of
power, which was the case during World War II when the Nazis decided to perform human
experiments. Therefore, research conducted in the field of medicine has the potential to harm life and
promote exploitation.

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9. What questions can a researcher ask on the planning phases of his research process?
In the planning phases of the research process, the researcher should always start by asking
what the ethics involved in the methods used in the study are. What are the strengths and limitations of
the ethics involved in the methods? This is to ensure that before performing the study, considerations
are made by the researcher to avoid potential harm that the study may bring. Another question is
whether others also used the methods used by the researcher in the past? This is to avoid any
suspicions of plagiarism. The next question involves the respondents of the research. Did the
respondents agree towards the method used to gather their data, and did they have enough information
regarding the methods? This is to ensure that respondents are participating willingly with complete
comprehension of the possible outcomes towards them. A researcher should also be knowledgeable
about the potential risks and harm that may occur during the study and ask, what are the unintended
risks that may come as the study is conducted? How can the risks be avoided? Alternatively, should
the harm come, what are the steps that the researcher should make? This is to ensure the well-being of
all the people involved in the study. Finally, is a question that identifies the whole study? A researcher
should ask Is the study beneficial. Does it promote more benefits than the potential risks? This
question emphasizes why the researcher is keen on the study and answers the importance of the study.

10. What are the important factors to maintain anonymization of Qualitative Data?
Qualitative data is one of the most challenging data to anonymised because qualitative data
seeks to describe rather than measure a particular phenomenon. Moreover, all humans are different,
meaning every person has individual perspectives that make them different from others, and as such,
the answers given might connect back to the respondents. So an essential factor in maintaining
anonymization of the qualitative idea is the ability of the researcher to edit the answers given by the
respondents. Moreover, to emphasize, editing does not involve changing the context of the answers or
distorting the data gathered. The researcher should be able to keep the message across but use different
wording or sentence structures.

11. What are important things in managing your data?

There are three essential things to consider in managing the data: Anonymization, Storage,
and Security. Data, especially those gathered from the respondents, should not expose the respondents'
identities meaning the respondents should have privacy. Therefore, any answer given to aid the study
should not say anything about their identity. This gives the respondent a sense of security and shows
that the research is impartial and unbiased. Continuing the research data should also be stored
properly, meaning that the researcher should have a copy of the data and a backup just in case
something unexpected happens. This is to aid readers or possible researchers who might want to
improve the study or the area of study in the research.
Furthermore, the data of the researcher should always be secure. This is to make sure that only those
who are part of the study and have the authority will use and access the data. In summary, in managing
data, the researcher should always ensure the privacy, storage, and security of all data used in the
research.

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INTRODUCTION TO REASEARCH
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References:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/index.cfm#:~:text=There
%20are%20several%20reasons%20why,the%20truth%20and%20minimize%20error.

https://www.scribbr.com/frequently-asked-questions/anonymity-and-confidentiality/
#:~:text=Anonymity%20means%20you%20don't,Both%20are%20important%20ethical
%20considerations.

https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/
resoures/consent#:~:text=Informed%20consent%20is%20one
%20of,before%20they%20enter%20the%20research.