RESEARCH_2.

COM

ETHICAL STANDARDS
IN WRITING THE
LITERATURE REVIEW
ANGELA YAP & GIDEON ESTRELLA
PRESENTATION
OVERVIEW
THINGS TO COVER
Defining Ethics
Ethical Standards in Research
Ethical Issues
How to Avoid Fraud
Ethics in Reviewing Literature
• NORMS FOR CONDUCT THAT DELINEATE THE
BOUNDARY BETWEEN ACCEPTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE
BEHAVIOUR;
• SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG;
• AN APPROACH, PROCESS OR PERSPECTIVE FOR
CHOOSING HOW TO ACT ON CERTAIN ISSUES OR
SITUATION, AND FOR PROBING COMPLICATED
PROBLEM OR ISSUES.

DEFINING ETHICS: WHAT IS

ETHICS?
"A GENERAL PRINCIPLE UNDERLYING ETHICAL WRITING
IS THE NOTION THAT THE WRITTEN WORK OF AN
AUTHOR, BE IT A MANUSCRIPT FOR A MAGAZINE OR
SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL, A RESEARCH PAPER, OR A
PROPOSAL, REPRESENTS AN IMPLICIT CONTACT BETWEEN
THE AUTHOR AND THE READERS."

DEFINING ETHICS: WHAT IS

ETHICAL WRITING?
• Transparency;
• Purpose should be clearly
defined;
• Participants should not be
exposed to any kind of potential
hazards;
• Confidentiality of participants'
identities is an essential
consideration;
• Proper dissemination of findings:
accountability, authenticity,
accuracy; ETHICAL STANDARDS IN
• Safekeeping of data RESEARCH
(perspective period of 5 years).
THINGS TO AVOID:
Of data-fraudulent practices like
falsification, alteration,
misrepresentation, concealing of
findings

• Biased or subjective language

• Labelling people/ singling out
a group
• Assuming authorship of
another's work (Plagiarism)
ETHICAL STANDARDS IN
RESEARCH
"When there is not a community,
trust, respect, ethical
behavior are difficult for the
young to learn and for the old
to maintain."
ROBERT K. GREENLEAF
ETHICAL ISSUES
PLAGERISM
FRAUD
A term used to describe
LANGUAGE USE The crime of using
a practice that involves
dishonest methods to
knowingly taking and A writer must avoid
take something valuable
using another's work and radically charged,
from another person;
claiming it, directly or sexist, offensive
fabricated data.
indirectly, as their language and tendencies.
own.
 TECHNICAL
Occurs when the
BLATANT writer is not trying
to cheat or deceive
An act in which the but fails to follow
writer tries to deceive the accepted methods
the teacher/readers of using and
into believing they are revealing sources.
totally responsible for
or originator of the
content.
PLAGERISM
 FORMS OF PLAGIARISM
• Turning in someone else's work as your own
• Copying words or ideas from someone else
without giving credit
• Failing to put a quotation mark
• Giving the incorrect information about the
source of a quotation
• Changing words but copying the sentence
structure of a source without giving
credit.
• Copying so many words or ideas from a
source making up the majority of your work
GUIDELINES IN LANGUAGE USE
• Do not make sweeping generalisations about
a specific gender, ethnic minority, or any
category of people.
• When referring to a racial group, use
accurate and politically correct
terminologies.
• Avoid overly inclusive racial terms, such
as Asian or Hispanic; Be more specific by
using terms such as Japanese, Chinese,
Filipino and the like.
GUIDELINES IN LANGUAGE USE
• Avoid sexist phrasing such as gender-
oriented diction; For example: "Women are
often tempted by false promises." Instead,
revise it as: "Human beings are often
tempted by false promises."
• Remain conscious of how you refer to
individuals, even fictitious characters:
using "boy" or "girl" to refer individuals
above the age of 18 may carry racial
overtones and create a patronising tone.
GUIDELINES IN LANGUAGE USE
• When referring to individuals with
physical impairments, always place the
description after the subject; for
example: "the man who is blind" rather
than "the blind man."
• Omit language associated with negative
stereotypes, such as redneck and welfare
mother.
HOW TO AVOID FRAUD?
HONESTY
•Honestly report data, results, methods
and procedures, and publication status.
Don't fabricate, falsify or
misrepresent data.
INTEGRITY
Keep your promises and agreements; act
with sincerity; strive for consistency
of thought and action.
OBJECTIVITY
•avoid bias in experimental design,
data analysis and interpretation, peer
review, personnel decisions, grant
writing, and other aspects of research
where objectivity is required.
CAREFULNESS
•Avoid careless arrors and negligence;
carefully and critically examine your
own work and the work of your peers.
Keep good records of research
activities.
ETHICS IN REVIEWING
LITERATURE
• Report your findings
with complete honesty.
• Do not misinterpret,
misinform, and mislead.
• Give appropriate credit
when using other
people's work. THE ETHICAL ISSUES
REGARDING THE REVIEW OF
• Avoid plagiarism.
LITERATURE INVOLVES
HONESTY WITH PROFESSIONAL
COLLEAGUES:
VIDEO TIME!