Research Ethics

1. Research Ethics JN602 Week 05 Chapter 3, pp. 65-71

3. What are research ethics? �Ethics and ethical principles extend to all spheres of human activity. They apply to our dealings with each other, with animals and the environment. They should govern our interactions not only in conducting research but also in commerce, employment and politics. Ethics serve to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct and provide reasons for those conclusions.� (NHMRC, 1999, p.13)

4. Principles of research ethics National Health and Medical Research Council (1999) Integrity Respect for persons: �individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and that persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection� (p.16) Beneficience: maximise possible benefits, minimise possible harm Justice: �who ought to receive the benefits of research and bear its burdens � (p.16)

5. Ethical principles (Veal, 2005) No harm should befall research subjects Subjects should take part freely Participation should be based on informed consent

6. Expression of ethical principles (NHMRC, 1999, p.23) Integrity: �commitment to the search for knowledge, to recognised principles of research conduct and in the honest and ethical conduct of research and dissemination and communication of results� Respect for persons: �regard for the welfare, rights, beliefs, perceptions, customs and cultural heritage, both individual and collective, of persons involved in research�

7. Expression of ethical principles (cont.) Beneficence: �researchers� responsibility to minimise risks of harm or discomfort to participants in research projects. Each research protocol must be designed to ensure that respect for the dignity and well being of the participants takes precedence over the expected benefits to knowledge.� Justice: �within a population, there is a fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of participation in research and, for any research participant, a balance of burdens and benefits.�

8. The Research Process and Ethics

9. Enforcement of research ethics Universities, hospitals, professional bodies and government departments have codes of ethics Ethics Committees (also known as Institutional Review Boards in the U.S.A.) must approve all research with humans and with animals E.g. UB Human Research Ethics Committee http://www.ballarat.edu.au/ard/ubresearch/hdrs/ethics/humanethics/hrec.shtml Potential loss of professional indemnity if code not followed

10. Minimising Harm Ensure privacy/confidentiality/anonymity/ security of information received. Use fictitious names when reporting results. Seek permission to quote when identification unavoidable (eg, Mayor, Managing Director).

11. Free choice (Veal, 2005) Also known as voluntary consent Subjects must not be coerced into participating � even in �captive group� situations Free choice not possible in: Some observational research Some type of participant observation

12. Informed consent Participants should be fully informed about the nature and purpose of the research Some �grey areas� when full information might bias results

13. The importance of informed consent The Milgram �Obedience� experiments Re-creation: http://www.wernersplace.com/obedience2.htm Original videotape: http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=-1606897927982220440 The �Tea Room Trade� http://www.research.uwaterloo.ca/ethics/human/resources/index.htm

14. Obtaining consent(NHMRC, 1999) (a) provision to participants, at their level of comprehension, of information about the purpose, methods, demands, risks, inconveniences, discomforts, and possible outcomes of the research (including the likelihood and form of publication of research results); and (b) the exercise of a voluntary choice to participate.

15. Unequal or dependent relationships(NHMRC, 1999, p.42) Situations where unequal power relationships exist between participants and researchers or where participants occupy junior or subordinate positions in hierarchically structured groups. Examples include: persons with chronic conditions or disabilities and their carers; patients and health care professionals; students and teachers; prisoners and prison authorities; and employees and their employers or supervisors.

16. General research ethics(Veal, 2005) Researchers should be competent Research should be informed by a literature review Plagiarism is unethical All contributors should be acknowledged Falsification of results is unethical

17. Example: Ethics in survey research Interviewee issues Interviewer issues Sampling Politics

18. Interviewee issues Privacy Anonymity Time Comprehension Knowledge of subject matter

19. Interviewer Issues Interviewer�s background Interviewer integrity: ethics Interviewer knowledge and preparation Bias occurs when the interviewer�s opinion influences the answer

20. Sampling Who should you ask in order to get useful information? Depends on the research question You want your sample to be representative of the group you are interested in Probability sampling Non-probability sampling

21. Politics(SLT, 2003) Researcher: What if the test results are favourable? Product Manager: Why, we�ll launch the product nationally, of course R: And if the results are unfavourable? PM: They won�t be. I�m sure of that. R: But just suppose they are. PM: I don�t think we should throw out a good product just because of one little market test. R: Then why test? PM: Listen, this is a major product introduction. It�s got to have some research behind it.

22. Differences between interviewer-assisted and self-completion surveys Interview Open Confronting Clarification Assistance Slower Accuracy affected by: Interviewer bias Social acceptability Self-completion Private Confidential Needs accurate qu�s No assistance Faster for respondent Accuracy affected by: Misunderstanding Length of questionnaire

23. Ethics - summary The rights of respondents are always the most important. Respondents� cooperation in research is entirely voluntary at all stages. Respondents should not be subject to negative effects from taking part in a survey. The respondent�s anonymity must be strictly protected.