Table of Contents
Question One
There are several benefits that come with ethical research. The first benefit is the protection of the welfare of the respondents. Participants feel comfortable to participate in the research study when they are assured that their anonymity will be protected. Research that is conducted ethically prevents the falsification and fabrication of data which leads to research that is not representative of the population. Working in ethical conditions creates a chance for collaboration. The research team is able to work in with trust and respect.
There are several consequences of unethical behavior in research. The deception could lead to psychological harm of the respondents. Research participants could be exposed to numerous things during research which could be of harm to them. They should be notified before they participate in a study so that they can decide whether or not they are willing to participate. Unethically conducted research leads to the loss of support from the public. Therefore, the research team will have wasted time and resources in conducting the study.
Question Two
The ethical code in my field of study includes the quality of honesty. The research team should report data the data that they have recorded and collected. Even if the results are not what they expected, the research team should always report truthful results such as the data and the publication status of the report. The second code is integrity. The team should always hold up the highest form of integrity in all of their dealings. First, the team should keep its promises. All agreements that they enter should be honored as well. The researchers should be objective. Bias ruins the credibility of a study making it impossible for the results to reflect on the population. It is important that the researchers are impartial and they should ensure that they are bias free throughout the whole process e.g. in the experimental design and analysis. This code of conduct ensures that the study is ethical and results are bias free.
Question Three
Breaking confidentiality is a violation of research ethics. In some studies, the nature of the information shared tends to be very sensitive. Such information involves matters like sexual history and financial information that the respondents might not want to be made public, but they still share for purposes of the study. Such a violation could lead to law suits. Deception of participants is another example of violation of research ethics that has dire consequences. Depending on the type of research that is being conducted, the respondents could be exposed to a variety of threats that could harm them. Therefore, it is vital that they are kept in the loop. If they are not the public could lose credibility of the research that has been conducted. Another ethical violation is the misrepresentation of results. Results could not be what the research team expected. Therefore, an unethical team could decide to doctor results. If such studies are released to the public, the results that are offered could mislead the public when they implement such studies in their day to day activities.
- Benbunan-Fich, R. (2016). The ethics of online research with unsuspecting users: From A/B testing to C/D experimentation. Research Ethics , 1747016116680664.
- Robert Dingwall, R. I. (2017). Towards common principles for social science research ethics: A discussion document for the Academy of Social Sciences. Finding common ground: Consensus in research ethics across the social sciences , 111-123.
- Saara Happo, A. H. (2016). The effect of study type on research ethics committees’ queries in medical studies. Research Ethics , 1747016116656912.