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Research Ethics for SAHC MA Students – becoming an ethical researcher

Research Ethics for SAHC MA Students – becoming an ethical researcher. Abigail Gilmore . What are ‘research ethics’ … and why do they matter?. All research raises issues of integrity, honesty and trust.

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Research Ethics for SAHC MA Students – becoming an ethical researcher

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  1. Research Ethics for SAHC MA Students – becoming an ethical researcher Abigail Gilmore

  2. What are ‘research ethics’ … and why do they matter? • All research raises issues of integrity, honesty and trust. • Research that involves human subjects or participants raises ethical, legal, social and political issues. • A code of ethics articulates a common set of values upon which researchers base their work.

  3. What are ‘research ethics’ and why do they matter? ETHICAL PRINCIPLES (from the American Sociological Association) • Professional Competence (we recognize the limitations of our expertise and undertake only those tasks for which we are qualified by education, training, or experience) • Integrity (being honest, fair, and respectful) • Respect for People's Rights, Dignity, and Diversity (by acknowledging/ eliminating bias in our research; being sensitive to cultural and individual differences in studying groups of people with distinctive characteristics) • Professional Responsibility (to ensure public trust in research) • Social Responsibility (to the communities and societies in which we live and work: how can our research contribute to the public good?)

  4. Research Ethics in Practice • Academic Malpractice (plagiarism, falsifying data, taking short cuts)/ • Identifying/being aware of conflicts of interest and competing obligations. • Recognising/acknowledging bias/discrimination &c. • Obtaining informed consent from participants/subjects, and respecting confidentiality/preserving anonymity &c.

  5. Research Involving Human Participants • All research proposals that include data collection involving human participants normally requires prior ethical approval to ensure the safety, rights, dignity and well-being of the participant and those of the researcher. • You are required to declare whether or not this applies to your dissertation / project topic and, if so, how these ethical issues are to be addressed. • In doing so, you are providing assurance that you have read the guidelines and considered whether your proposed dissertation raises ethical issues which require the attention of the SAHC ethical committee and /or the University’s Senate Committee on the Ethics of Research on Human Beings. • Ethical approval should not be considered as a bureaucratic obstacle; it is a mechanism for ensuring and demonstrating that the design of your research respects the rights of those who are the participants of the research.

  6. Do I need ethical approval – or not? • YES: examples of activities for which approval is required include questionnaire and interview based research involving sensitive or confidential issues, telephone interviewing or recording by audio or video tape and contact with participants who are children or considered as potentially vulnerable adults. • NO: research where the information about human participants is publicly and lawfully available e.g. information published in the census, population statistics published by the government, personal letters and diaries etc held in public libraries/archives do not require ethical approval. • ACTION: Discuss with your supervisor!

  7. Confidentiality and Anonymity • The confidentiality of information supplied by research participants and the anonymity of respondents must be respected. • Do NOT give unrealistic guarantees of confidentiality and anonymity. • Where appropriate and practicable, methods for preserving anonymity should be used including the removal of identifiers, the use of pseudonyms and other technical means for breaking the link between data and identifiable individuals. • Appropriate measures should be taken to store research data in a secure manner. You should be aware of your obligations under the Data Protection Act. • Data and results obtained from the research should only be used in the ways for which consent has been given. • Informed consent is key!

  8. Recruiting Participants • Participants should enter into the research freely and willingly and know and understand what they are agreeing to when they take part. • No one should be made to participate in a research study against their will. No undue influence should be exerted in order to persuade someone to take part in the research. • Build time into research to ensure participants can withdraw if they wish. • It is inappropriate to offer volunteers excessive payments which might induce them to participate in a study against their better judgement. Small payments may be made in order to compensate participants for their time and inconvenience, plus out-of-pocket expenses.

  9. Obtaining Consent • Informed consent entails giving as much information as possible about the potential research so that the prospective participants can make an informed decision about their possible involvement. • Written information should be supplied to participants making clear that the research is for a student project. It should be written in terms that an ordinary person rather than a specialist in the field can understand. • You should consider whether the participant will be able to read the information you provide and consider how to deal with problems of illiteracy or where the participant is not fluent in the language used.

  10. Data Protection Act • The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them. It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly. • Anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles, which make sure that personal information is: • Fairly and lawfully processed • Processed for limited purposes • Adequate, relevant and not excessive • Accurate and up to date • Not kept for longer than is necessary • Processed in line with your rights • Secure • Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection

  11. Your responsibilities as an interviewer • To consider the purpose of the interview and the possible range of future uses to which it might be put. • To carry out research and acquire sufficient technical knowledge to conduct an interview of the best possible standard. • To inform the interviewee of the purpose for which the interview is to be carried out, with background information where appropriate, and ensure he or she has understood this. • To determine the preferences of the interviewee as to the location and conduct of the interview (for example the presence of other persons; subject matter or personal references to be avoided). • To treat interviewees with respect and courtesy. • To observe confidentiality until a clearance form or other access agreement has been finalised. • To record in writing any restrictions which the interviewee may require. • To ensure that the interview is documented and made available as agreed with the interviewee.

  12. Example (1) • You are doing research on theatre workshops in prisons. You are working with a local theatre group who run theatre programmes in a prison, and will be observing some of their workshops. You also intend to interview the directors of the theatre group, several prison wardens, and several prisoners. You are also hoping to locate some former prisoners who took part in the workshops and have since been released to ask them how they feel that taking part in the theatre workshops helped with their return to life outside prison. • What steps do you need to take to ensure your work is ethical?

  13. Example (2) • You are doing research into blogging, and the ways in which blogging is changing political discourse. You intend to look at a number of high-profile blogs and some smaller blogs, and will also be investigating at the way discussions evolve in comments and across a series of blogs. Most of the blogs have email addresses associated with them, but many of the comments are left by anonymous or pseudonymous commentors. You are also hoping to interview some of the bloggers. • What steps do you need to take to ensure your work is ethical?

  14. Example (3) Janet is researching the educational impact of a programme of workshops for primary school children at the Whitworth Art Gallery. She wants to observe a number of workshops as they take place, and also investigate the responses of both teachers and pupils to the activities that they have taken part in. • What are the ethical issues raised by this?

  15. Questions for case studies • What would this research need to get ethical approval from the university? • If this research was completed to the very highest standard, what sort of protocols, apparatus and methodological tools would be used? • Where might this researcher look for good models of practice? • Who are the stakeholders in this research? Who would care about the results? • What is the researcher’s responsibility to these stakeholders?

  16. Further questions • Where might the researcher’s responsibility to one set of stakeholders conflict with their responsibility to another set of stakeholders? • Is there any way of resolving this conflict? • What does the researcher want to get out of this research? Might the researcher’s desires come into conflict with those of (any or all) of the stakeholders? Is there any way of resolving this conflict? • Are there any new conflicts which might arise if this research were to be disseminated into the public realm? Is there any way it might be misinterpreted? What steps could the researcher take to try and minimise the likelihood of this?

  17. Next Steps • The ethical audit • Discuss with ethical issues/need for ethical approval with your supervisor • Complete the Declaration of Research with your supervisor • Complete and submit Application for Ethical Approval form (to Kevin Little, SAHC Taught Programmes office), with attached (where relevant):- copy of questionnaire &c copy of consent form

  18. Further sources of information Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) http://www.esrc.ac.uk Arts, Humanities Research Council (AHRC) http://www.ahrb.ac.uk/ British Sociological Association http://www.britsoc.co.uk/new_site/index.php Association of Social Anthropologists http://www.theasa.org/ Political Studies Association http://www.psa.ac.uk/ Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) http://www.disclosure.gov.uk Central Office for Research Ethics Committee – COREC (NHS)http://ww.corec.org.uk The Human Rights Act (1988)http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/19980042.htm

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