The Student's Guide to Research Ethics

Paul Oliver is a principal lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Development at the University of Huddersfield. He has wide experience of teaching courses on research methods at postgraduate level, and thesis supervision for Masters, Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees. His research interests are in the fields of education, philosophy and comparative religion.

PART ONE Ethics and the research process

introduction: ethics and research
Some terminological issues: participants, subjects or respondents?
Ethics and research aims
Moral justifications of research
Situations where engaging in research may be ethically undesirable
Responsibilities of researchers to fellow researchers, respondents, the public and the academic community
Areas of research which raise ethical issues

research and the respondent: ethical issues before the research commences
Procedures for identifying and recruiting potential respondents
The principle of informed consent
Written information on the research project, and obtaining
written consent
Potential disadvantage or harm which might affect respondents
Will respondents be likely to gain in any way from participationin the research?
The involvement of research participants in research design
Researching vulnerable groups of people
Obtaining access to the research field via gatekeepers'
The role of ethics committees and boards
Obtaining relevant permission to conduct research
Reaching agreement with institutions or organizations in
which research will be conducted

research and the respondent: ethical issues during the research
The ethics of recording data
The right of respondents to end involvement in the research
The disclosure by respondents of sensitive material
Ethical issues in the use of information and communication technology
The ethics of ethnographic fieldwork
The ethics of the research interview
Ethical issues in the use of questionnaires
The use of inducements to provide data
Is it ever ethical to collect data from respondents using deception or covert methods?

research and the respondent: ethical issues when data collection has been completed
The issue of allowing respondents to read, edit and confirm the accuracy of data
Reporting research results to respondents
Arrangements for the disposal of raw data
Potential psychological effects on respondents
The distinction between interview research and counselling
Possible consequences when the respondent remains in the research contextPART TWO Ethical themes

the privacy of respondents, and restrictions on the use of data
Anonymity
Confidentiality
Trying to maintain the social ecology of a research setting
Observational studies in a public setting
Privacy in relation to institutions and organizations
The storage of data

differences in the research context
Cultural differences
Gender differences
Differences of ethnicity
Religious differences
The collection of data when the researcher is of a different
culture or gender from that of respondents
Issues specific to research in a health or social care context

the funding and sponsorship of research
Ethics and funding agreements
The ethics of research contracts
The resolution of potential conflicts of interest
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