INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
What are the ethical challenges?
Richard Jenkins
University of Sheffield
WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL
RESEARCH?
There are at least three distinct types of nonmedical international research involving human
participants and personal data…
Research based in the UK but using already
existing, secondary data from and about
elsewhere.
Comparative collaborative research with
colleagues outside the UK, where they collect their
national data and you collect your (UK) data.
Research carried out by a UK-based researcher
that involves data collection outside the UK.
RESEARCH BASED IN THE UK BUT
USING ALREADY EXISTING,
SECONDARY DATA FROM AND
ABOUT ELSEWHERE.
Here one needs to be certain that the data were
gathered in a manner that:
satisfied any in-country legal and ethical
requirements;
satisfies the University’s Research Ethics
Policy;
and, if relevant,
satisfies any appropriate professional ethical
requirements (publication etc.).
The challenge may be how to do this…
DETAILED DOCUMENTATION ABOUT…

Local in-country legal and research ethical requirements.

The source(s) of the data, the data collection procedures involved,
the consent forms, etc.

Proper translation is required, and a paper trail.

Exemptions?

Data collected before local and/or UK ethical requirements were
formulated.

BUT…common sense, caution and judgment are still required when
dealing with historical data of this kind.
COMPARATIVE COLLABORATIVE
RESEARCH WITH COLLEAGUES
OUTSIDE THE UK, WHERE THEY
COLLECT THEIR NATIONAL DATA
AND YOU COLLECT YOUR (UK)
DATA.
The same ethical requirements are present:
satisfaction of in-country legal and ethical
requirements;
satisfaction of the University’s Research Ethics Policy
(particularly if Sheffield is the lead institution);
and, if relevant,
satisfaction of professional ethical requirements
(publication etc.).
COLLABORATION INVOLVES TRUST….

In the first place, if you don’t trust them, don’t collaborate with them.

Not all jurisdictions or HE systems have research ethical
requirements for non-medical research with human participants, or
legal frameworks dealing with personal data.

The crucial matter is to ensure that data protection and research
ethical considerations are involved in project discussions from the
very outset, before funding is sought, and that proper procedures for
obtaining consent etc. are built into the research design.

Your own elements of any international collaborative research must
satisfy the University research ethics requirements, and be approved
accordingly.
RESEARCH CARRIED OUT BY A UKBASED RESEARCHER THAT INVOLVES
DATA COLLECTION OUTSIDE THE UK.
Once again…
in-country legal and research ethical
requirements;
the University’s Research Ethics Policy;
and
professional ethical requirements.
What are the challenges?
RESPONSIBILITY…FOR WHAT, AND TO
WHOM?

You are responsible for ensuring that the requirements outlined
on the previous slide are met;

and for the day-to-day conduct of the research: data collection,
relationships with locals, etc.

You are responsible to your research subjects;

to local communities and officialdom;

to the host institution if there is one;

and to everyone to whom you’re normally responsible in the UK.
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE EXTRA LAYERS
OF RESPONSIBILITY… BUT ARE THERE,
REALLY?

Responsibility for obtaining proper ethics approval.

Responsibility for legal compliance.

Responsibility for personal and institutional reputation.

Responsibility for the management and conduct of research.

Responsibility to research subjects.
The situation may be more complex, but the responsibilities,
with respect to research ethics, are essentially the same.
DOES DOING RESEARCH OUTSIDE THE UK
POSE ANY SPECIAL ETHICAL
CHALLENGES?
YES
and
NO
YES



National law and other regulation.
Everyday mutual understanding: language, interpersonal
etiquette, local norms and rules, tacit ways of doing things, and so
on…
Presentation of self: gender, status, sexuality, and other aspects
of identity.

Notions of privacy.

Problems in anticipating consequences of actions.

Different institutional and bureaucratic procedures and demands.
In one word: CULTURE
NO


Many if not all of the factors mentioned on the previous
slide apply ‘at home’ as well: we live in a multi-ethnic and
otherwise culturally diverse society and issues of these
kinds may come up.
In fact, since these issues are likely to be more obvious
when working outside the UK, it may well be that in these
respects working ‘at home’ is more problematic than
working ‘away’.
ETHICAL CHALLENGES OF
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
Doing research involving human participants and
personal data anywhere poses ethical challenges,
and those ethical challenges are pretty universal.
While we should be sensitive to local norms and
conditions, we need to maintain our own
standards of behaviour.
Doing research outside the UK doesn’t mean that
we cease to be governed by UK data protection
law - because we use the data within the UK - or
the University’s Research Ethics Policy.