WOLKITE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM

COMPILED BY: ISAYAS W. (M.Sc.)

Monday, May 21, 2018 1

 ETHICS

ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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 Quotes on Ethics
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world
(Albert)

I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the

government of man (Thomas)

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 ETHICS
• Ethics in research is one of the most crucial areas of research, with deception
(dishonesty), misconduct and abuses in research increasingly becoming a crucial
area of discussion, for instance, between psychologists, philosophers, ethical
groups, health professionals and researchers engaged in various fields of
research.

• Today it is widely acknowledged that researchers without training and

awareness of principles of research ethics are at RISK of perpetrating (doing)
abuses or making mistakes of real consequences
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 Cont…
• Ethics in research are very important when you're going to undertake a
research (perform an experiment, conduct an interview, participant
observation, etc.).

• Whenever we conduct research on/with people, the well-being of

research participants must be our top priority

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 What is ethics in research?

• The word ethics comes from a Greek word ‘ETHOS’ (character).

• Ethics is a systematic study of value, concepts, ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’,

‘wrong’ and the general principles that justify applying these concepts.

• It is not considering the poor hapless (unlucky) participant at the expense of

science and society. That is:

• (It is because of unlucky participant in our research that we obtain bad result)

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 Cont……
• When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for
distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule ("Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you“, Hammurabi idea),

a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath ("First of all,

do no harm"),

 a religious creed like the Ten Commandments ("Thou Shalt not kill,
steal, lying..."), or wise aphorisms (sayings) like the sayings of Confucius.

• This is the most common way of defining "ethics": ethics are norms for
conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior
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 Cont…..
• Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school, in religious institutions,
or in other social settings.

• Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during
childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings
pass through different stages of growth as they mature.

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 Why is research ethics important?

• There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in

research:

First, some of these norms promote the aims of research, such as knowledge,
truth, and avoidance of error.

For example, prohibitions(bans) against fabricating, falsifying, or

misrepresenting research data promote the truth and avoid error

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 Cont….
• Second, since research often involves a great deal of cooperation and
coordination among many different people in different disciplines and
institutions, many of these ethical standards promote the values that are
essential to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual
respect, and fairness.

• For example, many ethical norms in research, such as guidelines for

authorship, copyright and patenting policies, data sharing policies,
and confidentiality rules in peer review, are designed to protect
intellectual property interests while encouraging collaboration.
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 Cont…..
• Third, many of the ethical norms help to ensure that researchers can
be held accountable (responsible) to the public.

• For instance, US federal policies on research misconduct, on conflicts

of interest, on the human study participant’s protections, and on animal
care and use are necessary in order to make sure that researchers who are
funded by public money can be held accountable to the public.

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 Cont…..
Fourth, ethical norms in research also help to build public support for
research.

People are more likely to fund research project if they can trust the
quality and integrity of research.

Finally, many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important

moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights, animal
welfare, compliance with the law, and health and safety

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Some theories of ethics

1. Utilitarianism: Doctrine that the useful is the good; especially as

elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill; the aim was said to be the
greatest happiness for the greatest number

The ability to predict the consequences of an action; the choice that yields the
greatest benefit to the most people is the choice that is ethically correct.

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 Types of utilitarianism
• There are two types of Utilitarianism: act utilitarianism and rule
utilitarianism

1. Act utilitarianism adheres exactly to the definition of utilitarianism. A

person performs the acts that benefit the most people, regardless of personal
feelings or the societal constraints such as laws.

2. Rule utilitarianism takes into account the law and is concerned with
fairness. A rule utilitarian seeks to benefit the most people but through the
fairest (reasonable) and most just means available

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 Cont……..

• Comparing material gains such as money against intangible gains such

as happiness is impossible since their qualities differ to such a large extent

• It does not allow for the existence of supererogation or heroes.

• In other words, people are obligated to constantly behave so that the most
people benefit regardless of the danger associated with an act.

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 Deontology

The deontological theory states that people should adhere(follow) to

their obligations and duties when analyzing an ethical dilemma.

 A person who follows this theory will produce very consistent (reliable)
decisions since they will be based on the individual's set duties.

 Deontology provides a basis for special duties and obligations to specific

people

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 Research ethics when dealing with human participants

Basic principles
• All research involving human beings should be conducted in accordance with three
basic ethical principles

1. Respect for persons/autonomy incorporates at least two fundamental ethical

considerations, namely:

a) Respect for autonomy (independence), which requires that those who are capable
of deliberation about their personal choices should be treated with respect for their
capacity for self-determination; and

b) Protection of persons with impaired or diminished autonomy, which requires that

those who are dependent or vulnerable be afforded security against harm or abuse

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 2. Beneficiaries
• The ethical obligation to maximize benefits and to minimize harms

• This principle gives rise to norms requiring that the risks of research be
reasonable in the light of the expected benefits, that the research
design be sound, and that the investigators be competent both to conduct the
research and to safeguard the welfare of (“mental integrity”,

psychological well-being) of the study participants.

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 3. Justice
• Refers to the ethical obligation to treat each person in accordance with
what is morally right and proper, to give each person what is due to him
or her.

• In the ethics of research involving human research participants the

principle refers primarily to distributive justice, which requires the
equitable distribution of both the burdens and the benefits of participation in
research.

• Justice requires a commitment (promise) to ensuring a fair distribution of

the risks and benefits resulting from research.

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 Cont…..
• In addition to the three above mentioned established principles, some
bioethicists have suggested that a fourth principle, respect for
communities, should be added.

• Respect for communities “confers on the researcher an obligation to respect

the values and interests of the community in research and, wherever
possible, to protect the community from harm”.

• Some scholars believe that this principle is, in fact, fundamental for research
when community-wide knowledge, values, and relationships are critical to
research success and may in turn be affected by the research process or its
outcomes.

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 Underlying principles of ethics codes

• Given the importance of ethics for the conduct of research, it should come as no surprise
that many different professional associations, government agencies, and universities
have adopted specific codes, rules, and policies relating to research ethics.

Other influential research ethics policies include, for example,

the Uniform Requirements (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors),

the Chemist's Code of Conduct (American Chemical Society),

Code of Ethics (American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science) Ethical

Principles of Psychologists (American Psychological Association),

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 Cont…….
Statements on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (American
Anthropological Association),

Statement on Professional Ethics (American Association of University

Professors),

The Nuremberg Code and The Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical

Association)

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 General summary of some ethical principals that various codes
address:
1. Honesty: Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data, results,
methods and procedures, and publication status.

Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.

 Do not deceive (cheat) colleagues, granting agencies, or the public.

2. Objectivity: Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation,

peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of

research where objectivity is expected or required.

 Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception (dishonesty).

 Disclose personal or financial interests that may affect research.

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 Cont….
3. Integrity: Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for
consistency of thought and action.

4. Carefulness: Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically

examine your own work and the work of your peers.

Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research

design, and correspondence with agencies or journals.

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 Bioethics

• Bioethics requires special mention because of the current trend and

progress in use of modern day molecular genetics, molecular biology,
human reproductive technology, etc and its direct impact on the lives
of millions of people and its assault (attack) on the common
sensibilities of today’s world.

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 Cont…..
• Examples: new technology (organ transplant) and developments (stem cell
research) in health care and biomedical sciences;

• Increasing power of scientists and doctors over patients and communities;

• The value-laden(loaded) nature of medical decision-making and a critical

questioning of the bases of decisions; and New social perspectives –
abortion, right to die, etc.

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 END OF

THE CLASS

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