Research Ethics

Question 1

General Ethics Principles

Answer 1

• respect for persons
• concern for welfare
• justice

Question 2

Respect for Persons

Answer 2

• research participants are not ‘objects’ or resources to be used for some end
• individuals have basic human rights that include dignified treatment by researchers

Question 3

Informed Consent

Answer 3

is free and ongoing
- participants must be advised of the risks and potential benefits of the research
- potential participants are given an information sheet and/or consent form outlining what the research is about

Question 4

Informed Consent in Ethnography

Answer 4

‘participant observation’
- informed consent is impractical

Question 5

Informed Consent in Experiments

Answer 5

fully informed consent can cause reactive effects; participants know they are being observed for specific purposes and therefore might change their behaviour
- deception must be clearly justified and debriefing is important when using deception

Question 6

Concern for Welfare

Answer 6

concerned with the well-being of the person, group, community affected by the research
- avoid harm, embarrassment, inadvertent identification

Question 7

Confidentiality

Answer 7

guarantee that researchers will not link participants to their responses publicly

Question 8

Random Response Technique

Answer 8

useful for controversial/sensitive topics
- participants flip a coin. heads they say yes and tail they tell the truth

Question 9

Duty to Report

Answer 9

researchers may have a duty to report on certain activities observed or disclosed ie; child abuse, crime
- privacy and confidentiality rules are often used to set boundaries on what can be disclosed to a researcher and what will result in a. report to an outside agency
- mandatory reporting rules should be told to participants before they participate

Question 10

Justice

Answer 10

• obligation to treat people fair and equitably