Research Ethics

Research ethics basically provides us the rules and ethics that must be followed while carrying out any scientific research.

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Research ethics are a set of principles about how researchers and research organizations should conduct themselves when dealing with research participants, other researchers and colleagues, the users of their research and society in general. Particularly relevant to the social sciences are ethics associated with projects involving human participants, including conducting surveys, focus groups and the use of secondary data

Why are research ethics important?

It is important to conduct research in line with ethical standards for a number of reasons: In order to respect and cause no harm to the participants As a sign of respect for other researchers and those who will use the research It is a professional requirement particularly in some disciplines and failure to do so may result in disciplinary procedures. It is a requirement to obtain funding. Failing to conduct research ethically could be embarrassing or result in research (or the researcher) being dismissed or rejected by the research community.

Principles of ethical research Recognition of the diversity and uniqueness of peoples, as well as of
individuals, is essential.

The rights of Indigenous peoples to self-determination must be recognised.

 The rights of Indigenous peoples to their intangible heritage must be

recognised.

Rights in the traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions of

Indigenous peoples must be respected, protected and maintained

Indigenous knowledge, practices and innovations must be respected,

protected and maintained.

Responsibility for consultation and negotiation is ongoing. Consultation and negotiation should achieve mutual understanding about
the proposed research.

Negotiation should result in a formal agreement for the conduct of a

research project.

Indigenous people have the right to full participation appropriate to their

skills and experiences in research projects and processes. Research outcomes should include specific results that respond to the needs and interests of Indigenous people. Plans should be agreed for managing use of, and access to, research results.

Main points While carrying out any research

We should follow the code of conduct of the organization or institution for which we are carrying out the research. Research aim should be beneficial for the society. Research should be designed, reviewed and undertaken to ensure integrity and quality. Research participants must voluntarily consent to research. The independence of research must be clear, and any conflicts of interest or partiality must be explicit

 Research organisations should have clear, transparent, appropriate and effective procedures in place for ethics review, approval and governance whenever it is necessary.

Common problems in research ethics

Authorship is the process of deciding whose names belong on a research paper. In many cases, research evolves from collaboration and assistance between experts. Peer review is the process in which an author (or authors) submits written manuscript or article to journal for publication and the journal editor distribute article to experts working in the same, or similar, scientific discipline. The experts, otherwise called the reviewers, and the editor then enter the peer review process. Plagiarism is the act of passing off somebody elses ideas, thoughts, picture theories, words, or stories as your own. If a researcher plagiarizes the workof others,they are bringing into question the integrity, ethics, and trustworthiness of the sum totalof his or her research.9 In addition, plagiarism is both an illegal act and punishable,considered to be on the same level as stealing from the author thatwhich he or she originally created. Conflicts of interest arise when a persons (or an organizations) obligations to aparticular research project conflict with their personal interests or obligations. Forexample, a university researcher who owns stock in XYZ Pharmaceuticals is obligated toreport truthful and accurate data, but he might be conflicted if faced with data that wouldhurt stock prices for XYZ pharmaceuticals. Conflicts of interest are particularlyimportant to examine within the context of biomedical research because research subjects may be particularly vulnerable to harm