Characteristics,
Processes, and
Ethics of
Research
Characteristics of Research
Characteristics of Research (Cristobal & Cristobal, 2017)
1. Research should be systematic. - The researcher needs to carry out
a series of interrelated steps in conducting the study. Such procedure
must follow a well-planned, sequential and organized structure from
beginning to end.
- The research paper is divided into macrosystem and microsystem. The
former refers to different chapters labeled with main headings, while
the latter consists of various elements detailing the contents of each
part.
Characteristics of Research
2. Research should be objective. - The researcher needs to present
information that are purely based on truths. It should always be
anchored on the factual basis in which the research work is founded,
thus being free from any bias or personal opinion.
3. Research should be feasible. - The researcher needs to consider the
possibility and practicality of conducting the proposed study. All
significant factors like time, budget and access to resources must be
analyzed to determine if the research can actually be done.
4. Research should be empirical. - The researcher needs to employ
appropriate methods, either quantitatively or qualitatively, to produce
evidence-based information. They can be drawn from concrete
experimentation, direct or indirect observation, and verifiable
experience.
5. Research should be clear. - The researcher needs to use
comprehensible language to present information and convey
explanation throughout the research process. The factors to be
manipulated, measured or described in the study, also known as
variables, must be clarified using literature from published and
unpublished materials. They should be explained well from the
introductory part of the research paper to ensure a deeper
understanding of the study to be conducted.
What are the five basic
characteristics of
research?
Examine the following research scenarios and identify
what characteristic of research is disregarded.
Then, suggest how can the researcher improve his/her
work.
1. The researcher lacks explanation on the
identified variables being studied.
Characteristic disregarded:
Suggestion:
2. The researcher does not follow the
standard format in writing the research
paper.
Characteristic disregarded:
Suggestion:
3. The researcher relies on the opinion of
other researchers.
Characteristic disregarded:
Suggestion:
4. The researcher thinks of an implausible
problem to solve.
Characteristic disregarded:
Suggestion:
5. The researcher uses information from a
fabricated experimentation.
Characteristic disregarded:
Suggestion:
Identify whether the following scenarios show different
characteristics of a good research.
Answer ACCEPT if it does, and REJECT if it does not.
1. Organizing the study in a logical
manner
2. Disregarding the basis on which
the work is founded
3. Validating the results of the study
4. Basing on biases
5. Analyzing phenomena of
importance
6. Providing fabricated information
7. Presenting opinions
8. Considering the extraordinary
nature of things
9. Evaluating sources of
information
10. Counterchecking different
evidence
ETHICS OF RESEARCH
What is Ethics?
Ethics is a branch of knowledge that deals with moral
principles on governing a person’s behavior in the
conduct of any activity.
You need to know the importance of ethics because it
will guide you in considering the ethical codes and
policies you have to follow in writing and conducting
a research.
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS IN
RESEARCH
1. It promotes the aims of research. Ethics guides the researchers in
obtaining knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error by prohibiting
fabrication, falsification and misrepresentation of research data.
2. It upholds values that are essential to collaborative work. Many
researchers who are working in different disciplines and
institutions cooperate and coordinate to accomplish a particular
research. With ethics in mind, they also maintain trust,
accountability, mutual respect, and fairness.
3. It ensures that researchers can be held accountable to the
public. Ethical norms guarantee the public that researchers are
deemed responsible for committing any form of research
misconduct.
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS IN
RESEARCH
4. It builds public support for research. People express and
lend their support by all means if they can trust the quality
and integrity of research.
5. It promotes a variety of moral and social values. Ethical
principles help the researcher avoid practices that can
adversely harm the research subjects and the community.
Thus, it encourages social responsibility, human rights,
animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health
and safety.
ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES
FOR RESEARCH
1. Honesty - The researcher should strive to truthfully report data
in whatever form of communication all throughout the study.
2. Objectivity - The researcher should avoid being biased. The
study should not be influenced by his/her personal motives,
beliefs and opinions.
3. Integrity - The researcher should establish credibility through
the consistency of his/her thought and action. He/she should act
with sincerity especially on keeping agreements
ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES
FOR RESEARCH
4. Care - The researcher should never neglect even
the smallest detail of the study. All information should
be critically examined. Records of research activities
should be properly and securely kept.
5. Openness - The researcher should be willing to
accept criticisms and new ideas for the betterment of
the study. Research results and findings should be
shared to the public.
ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES
FOR RESEARCH
6. Respect for intellectual property- The researcher should not
plagiarize. Credit should be given to who or where it is due. All authors
cited and sources used in the study should be properly acknowledged.
- Plagiarism refers to the act of illegally using another person’s ideas,
works, processes, and results. Thus, it constitutes claiming an
intellectual property as one’s own that can be penalized through
Republic Act 8293 known as the Intellectual Property Code of the
Philippines.
7. Confidentiality - The researcher should take steps to protect all
confidential communications or documents from being discovered by
others.
ETHICAL CODES AND
POLICIES FOR RESEARCH
8. Responsible publication - The researcher should ensure that
his/her work is clear, honest, complete, accurate, and balanced,
thus avoiding wasteful and duplicate publication. It should
likewise refrain from selective, misleading, or ambiguous
reporting.
9. Responsible mentoring - The researcher should teach
responsible conduct of research and share professional
knowledge and skills especially to new or less experienced
researchers.
10. Respect for colleagues - The researcher should show
courtesy to his/her colleagues by treating them equally and fairly.
ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES
FOR RESEARCH
11. Social responsibility - The researcher should promote social
good by working for the best interests and benefits of the
environment and society as a whole.
12. Non-discrimination - The researcher should not discriminate
based on sex, race, ethnicity, or any factor relating to scientific
competence and integrity. Thus, research should be open to all
people or entities who will participate in research.
13. Competence - The researcher should possess necessary
knowledge and skills in conducting a study. He/she should be
equipped with a sense of professionalism and expertise to ensure
competent results.
ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES
FOR RESEARCH
14. Legality - The researcher should know and abide
by relevant laws, institutional and government
policies concerning the legal conduct of research.
15. Human Subject Protection - The researcher
should protect human lives by preventing and
minimizing harms and risks. He/she should always
uphold the human dignity, privacy, and autonomy of
human subjects to be used in the study.
What are the 15 Ethical
Codes and Policies for
Research?
RIGHTS OF RESEARCH
PARTICIPANTS
According to Trochim (2006), Smith (2003) and Polit (2006),
the following are some of the rights of research
participants, as cited by Cristobal & Cristobal (2017):
1. Voluntary participation-The research participants must
be given the privilege to exercise their free will whether to
participate or not. They have the right to refuse
involvement in the study. Thus, any person should not be
forced to take part in any research undertaking.
RIGHTS OF RESEARCH
PARTICIPANTS
2. Informed consent -The research participants must be provided
with sufficient information about the procedures and risks
involved in the research. It serves as an initial guide on why and
how the study will be conducted. Hence, the researcher must
ensure that they fully understood and agreed upon the study.
3. Risk of harm - The research participants must be protected
from any type of harm whether it may be physical, psychological,
social, or economic. The researcher must avoid, prevent, or
minimize threats especially when they are exposed and engaged
in invasive and risky procedures.
RIGHTS OF RESEARCH
PARTICIPANTS
4. Confidentiality-The research participants must be
assured of their privacy particularly on personal
information. The researcher must secure that all
information disclosed by them will not be used without
authorized access.
5. Anonymity-The research participants must remain
anonymous or unidentified throughout the study even to
the researchers themselves. They have the right to keep
their identities secret as they participate especially in case
sensitive studies.
What are the 5
Rights of Research
Participants?
Suggest appropriate ethical actions that must be undertaken in order to
correct the unethical practices presented below. Consider the ethical
principles that must be followed in conducting a research. Copy the table
and answer it on your notebook.
UNETHICAL PROCESSES
ETHICAL ACTIONS
1. Shemelody, a graduating
student, claimed the research
work of her classmate. She
erased the name of the original
researcher and placed her own.
UNETHICAL PROCESSES
2. Ryan, the class president,
forced his classmates to
participate in his study.
3. A group of research students
secretly chose their adviser as
the subject of their research.
ETHICAL ACTIONS
UNETHICAL PROCESSES
4. Letty, an honor student, ranked
last in the honor roll because of
non participation in extracurricular activities. A qualitative
research about her is conducted
without informing her.
ETHICAL ACTIONS
UNETHICAL PROCESSES
5. Nico, a senior high school
student, is planning to carry out
his first research on the
misbehavior of fellow students
during examinations. However,
he has no idea on the ethical
guidelines in conducting such
research.
ETHICAL ACTIONS
Identify whether the following actions follow the ethical
codes and policies for research.
Write GO if you think it is ethical, and STOP if it is
unethical.
1. Securing the safety of research
participants
2. Rejecting criticisms from others
3. Exposing personal identity of
respondents
4. Carrying out inconsistent actions
5. Treating all peers equally
6. Duplicating other publications
7. Obeying relevant laws
8. Keeping agreements
9. Searching from credible
online sources of information
10. Falsifying reported data and
results
Process of
Research
Research Process
a systematic manner in which the
researcher approaches his/her area
of study to produce knowledge that
the community will consider to be
worthwhile within the field (Rao,
2017). Understanding such process
is
an
important
step
towards
executing any study.
The following table shows the five
phases of the research process along
with their definition (Whittemore &
Melkus, 2008).
Now, here’s the simplified flow of the significant steps you need to
take in conducting a study as presented by Rao (2017):
1.Define the research problem.
To begin your research, you must look at a
significant real-life problem. Factors like area
of
interest,
availability
of
fund,
socioeconomic significance of the study, and the
safety measures to be undertaken should be
considered in finding and defining the research
problem.
The
researcher
identifies
English
language proficiency as a problem of aspiring
maritime students in qualifying for admission to
prestigious maritime institutions.
**The researcher identifies English language proficiency as a problem of
aspiring maritime students in qualifying for admission to prestigious maritime
institutions.
2. Review the literature.
Read various publications or surf
the internet to become aware of the
previous works already done about
the chosen topic. You may utilize
different resources like science
books,
magazines,
journals,
newspapers,
or
even
in
the
internet.
**The researcher reviews previous studies conducted about English language
3. Formulate hypothesis.
A
hypothesis
is
a
theoretical
statement
in
solving
a
logical
relationship
between
variables. It should be
based on the problem being
solved.
**The researcher hypothesizes that the implementation of English-Only
Policy (EOP) in the classroom can improve the English language proficiency
4. Prepare the research
design.
Identify what is the best
means
to
collect
and
analyze data in the study
to clarify and improve the
research problem, purpose,
and questions.
5. Collect data.
Use an appropriate data
collection
method
to
elicit
the
needed
information.
**The researcher collects data through interview and
focus group discussion.
6. Analyze data.
Utilize
strategies
and
methods that make sense of
the data to answer the
research problem.
**The researcher analyzes the data by drawing
patterns and themes from the generated data.
7. Interpret and report the
findings.
Put
the
information
in
perspective and present the
solution
to
the
proposed
problem based on the findings
of the investigation.
**The researcher interprets and reports the findings based on the collected and
analyzed data to solve the research problem .
1-5. Give the five basic characteristics of research?
6-20. Give the 15 Ethical Codes and Policies for Research?
21-25. What are the 5 Rights of Research Participants?
26-30. What are the five phases of the research process?
31-37. Enumerate the seven significant steps in conducting a study?
10 pts. Explain why is it important for a researcher to be equipped
with the necessary knowledge and skills before starting/conducting
his/her research?
What are the five phases
of the research process?
Enumerate the seven
significant steps in
conducting a study?
Arrange the following steps to illustrate the
research process. Use one to seven (1-7) to
indicate the correct chronological order.