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2 - Ethics in Social Research

Ethics in social research govern standards of conduct to protect participants. Issues are important due to researcher-respondent relationships. Guidelines from 1990 ensure professionalism, informed consent, and participant welfare. Relationships between researchers and with participants/animals require accuracy, consent, privacy, and humane treatment. Principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice guide ethical research.

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42 views7 pages

2 - Ethics in Social Research

Ethics in social research govern standards of conduct to protect participants. Issues are important due to researcher-respondent relationships. Guidelines from 1990 ensure professionalism, informed consent, and participant welfare. Relationships between researchers and with participants/animals require accuracy, consent, privacy, and humane treatment. Principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice guide ethical research.

Uploaded by

mahnoor tahir
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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2.

Ethics in Social research

• What are ethics in a research?


Research ethics govern the standards of conduct for
scientific researchers. It is important to adhere to ethical
principles in order to protect the dignity, rights and welfare
of research participants.

• In social research ethical issues are highly


important because researcher-respondent
relationship are involved.
• Information sharing some times creates serious
issue of ethical values.
• For instance,
• (1) revealed some information to police to
prevent future crimes of same kind, but may
effect privacy of some respondents,
• (2) testing some drugs without the consent of
uses, some support this practice and other
opposed it…

• Australian vice-chancellors committee produced


guidelines for responsible practices in research in
1990.
• U.S. Canadian and European countries also have
the same standards
Ethical Areas
1. Professional practice and standards
2. The researcher-respondent relationship
3. The researcher-researcher relationship
4. The Researcher-animal relationship

Professional practice and standards


• Accuracy in data gathering and processes (high
professional standards)
• Relevant research Methodology
• Appropriate interpretation of data
• Accurate reporting (report all information
without error)
• Fabrication of data is misconduct (researcher
should not publish findings on data they did not
collect)
• Falsification of data is misconduct Researcher
should abstain from falsifying data or even
changing words.
Ethical consideration in research
• Researcher and staff members are committed to
high standard of professional conduct
• Researcher workers/assistants only be involved
in research when they fellow ethical standards
• Data confidentiality
• Security of data and researchers
The Researcher respondent relationship
• Proper identification: introduced him/herself,
avoid false impression to sponsors
• Complete information: objective of research,
nature, sensitivity of information
• Welfare of respondents: mental and physical
health of respondents, their safety, avoid
question that cause embracement, guilt etc.,
• Free and informal consent: respondent
participate in research with their free will
• Privacy: keep respondent information private
not to reveal to other organizations

The Researcher-Researcher relationship

• Researcher should not list authors with out their


permission
• Should not attribute work to person who have
not contributed
• Should not mislead his/her colleagues about the
findings
• Should not support the work of his/her
colleagues
• Should not criticize the work of his/her
opponents (fair criticism only)
• Researcher should abstain from using other
people work

Informed consent
• Provide complete information about terms and
condition to other authors
• Ask question, sharing knowledge
• Give reorganization and admit services of other
researchers

Researcher-animal relationship
• Maintenance: animals must maintain in
acceptable conditions, should not be deprive of
basic needs for food, water, sleep and
companionship
• Should be good reasons for research- good for
mankind or animal research
• Stress or pain: Researcher should not put
animals in stressful conditions, pain etc.,
• NATIONAL HEALTH AND MEDICAL
RESEARCH OR AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (Same
code of ethic like Australian)

AVCC RECOMMENDATION
Point to be noted
• Morality: Stem cell research- dolly cloning
• Multiple papers based on same data
• Handling hazardous material
• SUPERVISOR-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP
• Multiple Authorship agreement
Business Research
1. Privacy
• Reveal information to other
companies
• Recoding private behavior hidden
cameras

2. Deception
• Disguise the purpose of research
(seek information or observe
behavior without informing the
respondents)
Frey, Botan, and Kreps (2000) offer the
following summary of moral principles commonly
advocated by researchers:
1. Provide the people being studied
with free choice.
2. Protect their right to privacy.
3. Benefit them, not harm them.
4. Treat them with respect.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES:
General ethical principles are difficult to construct in the
research area. However, there are at least four relevant
principles.
• First is the principle of autonomy, or self-
determination, which has its roots in the
categorical imperative. Denying autonomy
is not something that a researcher wishes
to see universally practiced. Basic to this
concept is the demand that the researcher
respects the rights, values, and decisions of
other people.
• A second ethical principle important to
social science research is nonmaleficence.
In short, it is wrong to intentionally inflict
harm on another.
• A third ethical principle— beneficence—is
usually considered in tandem with
nonmaleficence. positive obligation to
remove existing harms and to confer
benefits on others. These two principles
operate together, and often the researcher
must weigh the harmful risks of research
against its possible benefits (for example,
increased knowledge or a refined theory).
• A fourth ethical principle, the principle of
justice, is related to both deontological and
teleological theories of ethics. At its general
level, this principle holds that people who
are equal in relevant respects should be
treated equally. In the research context,
this principle should be applied when new
programs or policies are being evaluated.
The positive results of such research should
be shared with all.

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