ETHICAL PRINCIPLES TO RESEARCH
Introduction
In trying to unpack the term Ethics, it is of paramount importance to register that
dealing with humans in in the research process comes with various ethical issues
(Walliman, 2010). This should be considered before, during, as well as after the research
process. The term ethics itself has something to do with morals. What society deems
right or wrong. According to Bulmer (2001), the etymology of the term ethics is from the
Greek word ethos, and it means character. For the purposes of this paper, ethics will be
discussed in the context of the research process. The paper will identify and critically
analyze the 5 Main Ethical Principles to Research.
Informed Consent
According to DeRenzo et al., (2020), Informed consent is more pronounced in clinical
medicine and refers to a process where an induvial or an agent of someone give
permission for a procedure or for something to take place. This involves disclosure of
information so that there is understanding and honesty. This principle of disclosure and
honesty dates back from the concept of beneficence or do good. This principle is well
understood from a historical perspective when we date back to World war 11 in
German. In the Nuremberg Code when research atrocities were exposed in the World
War II. Informed consent therefore advocates that the researcher has to make sure that
the research participants are made aware of what the research or study is all about.
The would-be participants should understand the purpose of the research before the
study is commenced. After understanding the purpose of the study then a request for
consent or permission has to be made. However, sometimes, it is not possible to
properly get informed consent from the participant, this is due to poor understanding of
the information provided (Ghooi, 2014). In these circumstances, it could be that the
language that the information was presented in is not the best or because the
participants that were recruited are just incompetent. Sometimes it is the problem of
the researcher that the informed consent process has problems. Nevertheless,
researchers have devised a way around the problem. This is by using videography. The
use of videotaping has proved to be helping both the consent seeker as well as the
participant to be more careful in the process. This has in the long run improved the
adherence to norms.
Debrief
Unlike informed consent, debriefing happens at the end of the research process. It
should be noted that that this process happens with human subjects. At the end of the
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research, participants are again explained to what the purpose of the study was. They
are also explained to what their role and contribution was to the research process.
Nevertheless, participants are allowed to ask questions that they have to which the
researcher should provide honest answers. But the debriefing process and aim goes
beyond that. The participants are also told whether at some point in the research
process they were deceived. Benham, B. (2008) points out clearly that the common
view is that the debriefing process is there to allow the researcher to disclose to the
participants what deception has occurred and what harm that deception has caused
on the side of participants’ involvement in the research. Others have even goes further
to look at the debriefing forum as a mean for the researcher to apologise to the
participants on the research deception. Rather looking at debriefing as a forum for
moral accountability (Miller, et al. 2008) where the researcher should be apologizing for
deception, Benham, B. (2008) looks at this forum as a chance to further clarify the
relationship between the researcher and the participant
Protection of Participants and Confidentiality
Participants must always be protected from harm including safeguarding their
confidentiality. This harm can come in different forms that would include physical and
psychological harm. It is the responsibility of the researcher to make sure that that the
right strategies are employed to prevent this participant distress. This principle is one of
the most important one and it stems from the report on the national commission in the
US in the 1970s. It was called the Belmont Report. This report called on researchers to
demonstrate the principle of doing no harm also known as non-maleficence when
conducting their research studies. While doing that, it meant that both the data and
their participants are duly protected. Despite that, there are always unforeseen
situations that could lead to harm to participants in the course of doing research.
Hence the need to have a proper debriefing at the end of the research process.
Deception
According to Pollock (2012), deception in a research study is when participants are
given wrong information have actually been misled. This misleading or misinformation
could be inadvertent or deliberate. As discussed above in the first principle, ethical
research demands that participants be made aware that they are subjects and also be
well informed about the purpose of the study. This is so because when participants
discover that they are being deceived, they can feel betrayed, misled and there throw
away the trust of the researcher. However, it is important to note that sometimes, it is
not possible to avoid deception. In some studies, if participants are informed, they can
easily change their behavior and therefore not provide the real true data. This is well
exemplified in the study by Kypros Kypri, in which he and his colleagues studied the
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drinking habits of thousands of college students (Wang, 2014). In their defense of
deception, Kypros and his friends argues that if they had disclosed the deception at the
end of the research, participants would feel misled and therefore get upset.
Withdrawal from an Investigation
It is the duty of the researcher to make sure that participants are made aware that of
their rights to withdraw from an investigation at any point. This also applies to their data.
However, withdrawals in the research process can be so costly on the researcher. As
some participants pull out of the study, they can have a discouraging effect on the
ones that are remaining behind.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to underscore the fact that the research process has to be
conducted in as much ethical as possible. This is more important as mostly, humans and
animals are subjects. There is need to minimize distress as much as possible by causing
as little harm as possible. In order to achieve this, this paper has outlined the five ethical
principles that must be followed. In the course of the discussion, the paper has
highlighted that in some instances some deviations are made for the good of the
research process.
References
Benham, B. (2008). Moral accountability and debriefing. Kennedy Institute of Ethics
Journal, 18(3), 253-73. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarlyjournals/moral-accountability-debriefing/docview/217112228/se-2
DeRenzo, E. and Moss,J. (2005). Writing Clinical Research Protocols : Ethical
Considerations, Elsevier Science & Technology. ProQuest Ebook Central,
https://www.proquest.com/legacydocview/EBC/269513?accountid=188730.
Ghooi, R. (2014). Ensuring that informed consent is really an informed consent: Role of
videography. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 5(1), 3-5.
Miller, Franklin G.; Gluck, John P.; and Wendler, David. 2008. Debriefing and
Accountability in Deceptive Research. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 18: 235-51.
Walliman, N. (2010). Research methods : The basics. ProQuest Ebook Central.
https://www.proquest.com/legacydocview/EBC/667795?accountid=188730
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Wang, S. (2014). The role of deception in scientific research; deception may be a
'necessary tool,' but new methods are prompting scientists to reconsider. Wall Street
Journal (Online) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/roledeception-scientific-research-may-be/docview/1555802549/se-2
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