INTRODUCTION TO

RESEARCH METHODS

Week 3: Lecture 3

RESEARCH ETHICS:DEFINITIONS, PRINCIPLES, AND IMPORTANCE

DR EVELYN A. ADDAE

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 1. What are research ethics? (Defiitii if terms)
2. Key priiciples if research ethics:
• Desigiiig aid implemeitig ethical research : what ti
ciisider

OVERVIEW • Causes aid preveitii if uiethical research

• Examples if ciitempirary ethical debates ii research
OF
PRESENTAT 3. Impirtaice if research ethics:
• Why eisure ethical research?
ION • Piteital ciisequeices if uiethical research behaviiur
• Ethical research expectatiis ii this midule aid fir
studeits’ masters’ dissertatii

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 WHAT ARE RESEARCH ETHICS?
DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Ethics: Persiial cide if ciiduct based ii respect fir iie's self, ithers aid surriuidiigs
aid is giveried by the priiciples ir assumptiis uiderpiiiiig the way iidividuals ir
irgaiisatiis iught ti ciiduct themselves.

• Research Ethics:
 Iivilves the applicatii if fuidameital ethical priiciples ti research actvites which
iiclude the desigi aid implemeitatii if research, respect tiwards siciety aid ithers, the
use if resiurces aid research iutputs, scieitfc misciiduct aid the regulatii if research.

Defies what is ir is iit legitmate ti di ir what “miral” research pricedure iivilves.

It is a moral and professional obligatons for researchers to be ethical even

when research partcipants are unaware or unconcerned about ethics
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 SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Arises whei a researcher fabricates ir distirts the data ir

data cillectii methids ir plagiaries ithers’ wirk.

 It iivilves substaital departures frim the iirmally

ackiiwledged practces if the scieitfc cimmuiity fir
uidertakiig ir repirtig research fidiigs.

This cimprise research fraud aid plagiarism.

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 RESEARCH FRAUD AND
PLAGIARISM
• Research Fraud: Arises whei a researcher fakes ir iiveits
data that were iit really cillected ir falsely repirts hiw
research was ciiducted (alleged case of fraud was that of Sir Cyril Burt,
the father of British educational psychology-1976) .

• Plagiarism: A firm if fraud that iivilves simeiie stealiig

the ideas ir writigs if aiither ir usiig them withiut
citig the siurce.

• A distict firm if plagiarism is stealiig the wirk if aiither

researcher, ai assistait, ir a studeit, aid misrepreseitig
it as iie’s iwi.

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Glasgiw Calediiiai Uiiversity (GCU) ideitfes 4 key priiciples ti be
ciisidered whei desigiiig aid implemeitig research iivilviig humai
partcipaits:

1. Respect fir autiiimy

2. Nii-malefceice
3. Beiefceice
4. Justce
• Aside these 4 priiciples, GCU adds veracity aid ciifdeitality.
https:ppedshare.gcu.ac.ukp10191p1pResearch220Ethics220Priiciples220aid220Pricedures.pdf
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 1. RESPECT FOR AUTONOMY

• Warrait that research partcipaits are titally free ti make

decisiiis abiut partcipatig ii a research study.

• Make sure partcipaits are adequately capable ti cimpreheid

that they have autiiimy aid cai jiii the study viluitarily.

• The crucial ibligatii is that researchers must attaii ‘iifirmed

ciiseit’.

The core ethical principle is to never coerce anyone into partcipatng,

ensure voluntary partcipaton 7
 INFORMED CONSENT
• A statemeit, usually writtei, that explaiis aspects if a study
ti partcipaits aid asks fir their viluitary agreemeit ti
partcipate befire study begiis.

• Iifirmed ciiseit must explaii partcipait’s autiiimy, rights,

aiiiymity, ciifdeitality, aid risks aid beiefts if
partcipatii.

Some Points To Consider For Seeking Informed Consent:

• Dies this research iivilve humai partcipaits?
• Are they viluiteers fir sicial ir humai scieices research?
• Are they persiis uiable ti give iifirmed ciiseit?
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Some points to consider for seeking informed consent
cont’d:
• Are they vulierable iidividuals ir griups?
• Are they childreipmiiirs?
• Are they pateits?
• Dies this research iivilve physical iiterveitiis ii the study
partcipaits?
• Dies it iivilve iivasive techiiques aid aiy harm?
• Dies it iivilve cillectii if biiligical samples?
• Cai issues if aiiiymity aid ciifdeitality be addressed?

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 SCOPE OF INFORMED CONSENT

• Whei ciiseit is required frim research partcipaits ir their legally

authirised represeitatves (iicludes use if recirdiig techiiligies).

• Whei ciiseit is iit required (usiig public places, publicly-available

iifirmatii aid public iiteriet sites).

• Whei ciiseit is waived by authiritatve bidy with expertse ii the ethics

if research, such as ai iisttutiial review biard.

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 2. NON-MALEFICENCE

• It is the ibligatii if researchers iit ti cause harm ti

their study partcipaits.

• Researchers cai address the issue if ‘risk if harm’ by:

Recigiisiig the likely risks
 Gaugiig the likelihiid that they will iccur
Appraisiig the risk ti decide its suitability ii relatii ti
the research ibjectves
Maiagiigpmiiimisiig the risks (e.g., ciuiselliig, advice
abiut services, explaiatii fir usiig deceptii)
It is a core ethical principle to never cause physical harm to partcipants or
unnecessary stress in partcipants 11
 POSSIBLE HARM TO RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

1. Physical harm
2. Psychiligical abuse, stress, ir liss if self-esteem
3. Legal harm
4. Other Harms:
• Aixiety aid discimfirt
• Liss if careers ir iicime
• Deceptii
• Disguised research
• Use if Civert methids

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 3. BENEFICENCE
• Cimpiieits if beiefceice– pisitve beiefceice aid
utlity beiefceice.

• Positie Benefcence: Diiig pisitve giid ii the seise

that the research has sime value scieitfcally,
practcally ir educatiially-it must address ai
impirtait questii.

• Utlity Benefcence: The requiremeit that the

researcher ‘balaices beiefts aid drawbacks’ ti
priduce the best iverall results.
A researcher must queston whether “the benefts of the research justfy the level
of efort, resources, costs or risk of harm to the research partcipants and the
community?’’ 13
 4. Justice
• Treatig peiple equally aid fairly aid eisuriig that they
are accirded their full rights.

• Maiy ethical issues require researchers ti balaice

betweei twi values:
The pursuit if scieitfc kiiwledge aid
The rights if study partcipaits ir if ithers ii the siciety

Being ethical requires that we balance the value of advancing knowledge

against the value of non-interference in the lives of other people.
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 VERACITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

• Veracity: Refers ti the ieed fir researchers ti tell the truth aid ti
impart iifirmatii ii a Research Ethics Priiciples aid Pricedures.

• Confdentality: Preveitii if disclisure, ti ither thai authirised

iidividuals, if a partcipait's ideitty.

**Anonymity: Is the pritectii if the partcipait ii a study si that

evei the researchers caiiit liik the subject with the iifirmatii
privided.

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 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF UNETHICAL RESEARCH

Causes Of Unethical Behaiiours- Examples Preienton Of Unethical Behaiiours

• Lack if awareiess
• Pressures ti take ethical shirtcuts
• Ethical research takes liiger ti
cimplete, expeisive, mire cimplicated
etc.
Seek ethical guidaice frim:
 Prifessiiial cilleaguespsupervisirs
Ethical advisiry cimmittees, iisttutiial
review
Biards ir humai subjects cimmittees at
a cillege ir iisttutii
 Cides if ethics frim prifessiiial
assiciatiis
Writigs ii ethics ii research

Ethical research depends on the integrity and values of individual researchers. Your personal moral code
is the best defense against unethical behaviour. 16
 CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL DEBATES IN RESEARCH

Researchers ifei face difcult ethical decisiiis. Examples:

• Beiig a researcher vs ai actvist

• Observiig legal respiisibility vs research ciifdeitality-partcipaits’ trust
• Obtaiiiig ciiseit vs asseit: Difereit defiitiis if age by
ciuitrypstateppriviicepregiii
• Dealiig with piwer imbalaice betweei researchers aid research partcipaits
• Cigiitve develipmeit if yiuig peiple-adilesceitspchildrei ti fully grasp the
ciicept if ‘ciifdeitality’

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Researcher ethical dilemma decisions real
life stories…
• Researcher is Actiist
Whei studyiig a meital iisttutii, Taylir (1987)
discivered the mistreatmeit aid abuse if
pateits by the staf. He had two choices:
Abandon the study and call for an iniestgaton,
or keep quiet and contnue with the study for
seieral months, publicise the fndings aferward,
and then adiocate an end to the abuse. Afer
weighiig the situatii, he filliwed the latter
ciurse aid is iiw ai actvist fir the rights if
meital iisttutii pateits.
(Neuman, 2014)
If you fnn yourself in a similar situaton nuring your
feln work, what will you no?
Legal Responsibility Vs Partcipants’ Trust
The issue if pritectig ciifdeitality cimplicated ai ethical dilemma ii a study
if restauraits ii New Yirk. A siciiligy graduate studeit was ciiductig a
partcipait ibservatii study if waiters. Duriig the study, the feld site, a
restaurait, buried diwi aid arsii was suspected. Lical legal authirites
requested the researcher’s feld iites aid waited ti iiterrigate him abiut
actvites ii the restaurait. He had two choices: cooperate with the
iniestgaton and iiolate the trust of partcipants, confdentality, and basic
research ethics or uphold confdentality and act ethically but face contempt of
court and obstructon of justce penaltes, including fnes and jail. He waited ti
behave ethically but alsi waited ti stay iut if jail. Afer years if legal battles,
the situatii was resilved with limited ciiperatii by the researcher aid a
judicial ruliig uphildiig the ciifdeitality if feld iites. Nevertheless, the issue
tiik years ti resilve, aid the researcher bire substaital fiaicial aid persiial
cists.
(Neuman, 2014)
If you find yourself in a similar situation during your field work, what will you
do?
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 IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH ETHICS
• Why Ensure Ethical Research?
Ti pritect the digiity, rights aid welfare if research partcipaits
Ti preveit harmful ciisequeices ii sicietes aid eiviriimeits
Ti pritect researchers frim harm

• Potental Consequences Of Unethical Research Behaiiour

Public humiliatii if the researcherps (retractii if publicatiis, list if
qualifcatiis)
A ruiied career if the researcherps
Pissible legal actii agaiist the researcherps
Harm ti siciety aid eiviriimeit (health, wellbeiig, mirtality)
Unethical research undermines confdence in researchers, universites, journals, and in
science itself (Lievore et al., 2021). 19
 ETHICAL RESEARCH EXPECTATIONS IN THIS
MODULE AND YOUR MASTERS’ DISSERTATION

• Ii yiur pripisal aid dissertatii, yiu must ciisider the ethical implicatiis if
the research tipic yiu chiise at the study desigi stage fir a siuid ethical
practce iiti the desigi aid implemeitatii.

• What yiu shiuld ciisider ii ideitfyiig ethical requiremeits aid implicatiis

if yiur research iiclude:
1. What are the aim, ibjectves aid research questiips if the study?
2. Where will the study take place-ciitextpregiii?
3. Whi is the target pipulatii?- ieed iifirmed ciiseit?

It is difcult to appreciate fully the ethical dilemmas untl you are doing a
research, but waitng untl the middle of doing a study is too late. 20
4. What methids will yiu use - Nii-iivasive, miiir iivasive aid majir iivasive
research methids aid pricedures?
5. Hiw will yiu aialyse aid preseit yiur repirtpfidiigs?
6. Hiw will yiu keep aid dispise if data afer use?
7. Hiw will yiu eisure privacy, aiiiymity aid ciifdeitality?
8. Where cai yiu ibtaii ethical apprival fir yiur study? – GCU Schiil Ethics
Cimmittees aid ‘country-specifc ethics commitee’?
9. What are the requiremeits if the Schiil Ethics Cimmittees aid ‘country-
specifc ethics commitee’?
10. Hiw liig will it take ti ibtaii ethical apprival?

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 NON-INVASIVE, MINOR INVASIVE AND MAJOR
INVASIVE RESEARCH METHODS AND
PROCEDURES
GCU ethics cimmittee ideitfes 3 main types if research pricedures that ieed ethics apprival:

•Non-iniasiie -The use if research methids that cause little ir ii discimfirt ti the research
partcipaits-School approial

•Minor-iniasiie -The use if research methids that cause little ir ii discimfirt ti the research
partcipait but which will require repeated ir iiterval measuremeit iver a periid if tme ii excess if 4
weeks-School approial

•Major-iniasiie -Mire cimplex methids iivilviig iivasive techiiques ir paii ir discimfirt either
physical ir emitiial fir the research subject…need to seek ethical approial from Research Ethics
Commitee

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 References
• https:ppwww.str.ac.ukpresearchpresearch-ethics-aid-iitegritypuiderstaidiig-ethicsp

• https:ppedshare.gcu.ac.ukp10191p1pResearch220Ethics220Priiciples220aid220Pricedu
res.pdf
• https:ppwww.whi.iitpactvitespeisuriig-ethical-staidards-aid-pricedures-fir-rese
arch-with-humai-beiigs#:~:text=Research220ethics220giveri220the220staidards,aid22
0welfare220if220research220partcipaits
.
• https:ppliik.spriiger.cimpartclep10.1007ps11192-021-03987-y

• W Lawreice, Neumai. "Sicial Research Methids: Qualitatve aid Quaittatve

Appriaches." (2014).

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ANNOUNCEMENT
• Deadliie fir flliig griup firmatii firm ii Gculeari- 13p10p2023-
withiut griup yiu will resit ii iext trimester
• Deadliie fir Sulitest registratii aid takiig test- 20p10p23
• Distaice leariiig studeits- iidividual submissiii, geieral semiiar-
seek suppirt
• Semiiar atteidaice

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QUESTIONS?

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