Week 5

Dr. Mousa Alakhras

E Mail: m.akhras@seu.edu.sa

Research Ethics
Welcome to this week of RES 500 Academic Writing and Research Skills
Course
In this week we will talk about Research Ethics.
Several topics will be covered in this week including

What are research ethics?

Ethical Treatment of Participants
Ethics and the Sponsor
Researchers and Team Members
Professional Ethical Codes of Conduct

What are Research ethics .

Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our
behavior and our relationships with others.
The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers
adverse consequences from research activities.
For some researchers, ethical and legal norms are the same.
Legal constraints are the minimum standard but not the ideal.
Ethical Approaches .
Ethical behavior should be directed by duties regardless of the positive
circumstances that might result from behavior that is in contradiction to the duty.
Do not lie, even when lying might result in a positive outcome.
Individuals sense of morality is called ethical relativism.
Ethical Treatment of Participants .

Explain study benefits

Explain participant rights and protections
Obtain informed consent

Deception: Camouflaging true research objectives

Debriefing: Explain any deception, describe purpose and share results
Informed Consent:

Identify researchers
Describe survey topic
Describe target sample
Identify sponsor
Describe purpose of research
Promise anonymity and confidentiality

Week 5

Dr. Mousa Alakhras

E Mail: m.akhras@seu.edu.sa

Give good-faith estimate of required time commitment

State participation is voluntary
State item-non response is acceptable
Ask for permission

Participant Confidentiality

Obtain signed nondisclosure

Restrict access to ID
Reveal only with written consent
Minimize instruments requiring ID
Non-disclosure of data subsets

Right to Privacy
Right to refuse
Prior permission to interview
Limit time required
Ethics and the Sponsor
Confidentiality
Sponsor Nondisclosure
Purpose Nondisclosure
Findings Nondisclosure
Sponsors Ethics

Violating Participant Confidentiality

Changing data or creating false data to meet a desired objective
Changing data presentations or interpretation
Interpreting data from a biased perspective
Omitting Sections of data analysis and conclusions
Making Recommendations beyond the scope of the data collected.

What To Do If Coerced?

Educate on purpose
Explain problems
Emphasize fact-finding role
Terminate relationship

Researchers and Team Members

Safety
Ethical Behavior of Assistants
Protection of Anonymity

Week 5

Dr. Mousa Alakhras

E Mail: m.akhras@seu.edu.sa

References
1. Business Research Methods by Donald R Cooper, 12th Edition.
Chapter 2 Ethics in Business Research, PP 26-47
2. Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education,
Health and Social Science, 5th Edition
Chapter 3 Ethics and Integrity in research, PP 44-62