ETHICS

ETHICS
- are the moral principle that guides how we determine
right and wrong. Furthermore, these are the norms of
conduct that people should follow to promote ideal
human behavior.

RIGHT VS WRONG
 WRONG

LAW Are codified

rules people
must follow to
maintain social
order.
RESEARCH ETHICS
involves the application of fundamental
ethical principles to research activities
which include the design and
implementation of research, respect towards
society and others, the use of resources and
research outputs, scientific misconduct and
the regulation of research
RESEARCH ETHICS
Research ethics is a very challenging subject which the research
candidate
has to face, and which if not addressed correctly may cause the
result of the research work to be considered tainted or even
invalid.
—Remenyi et al., 1998, p. 115
RESEARCH ETHICS
Ethical issues arise in all aspects of conducting research. The
book discusses the following areas ;

1. Human Rights Report

2. Ethical Issues in Data collection

3. Ethical Issues in Data analysis and interpretation
4. Ethical Issues in Reporting research findings Analysis
Data
Collection

5. Ethics of Writing up Research

HUMAN
RIGHTS
 RIGHTS OF HUMAN SUBJECT HU
MA
NR
Informed Consent IGH
TS
All prospective participants must b e fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in the
research project before they agree to take part.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF INFORMED CONSENT
1. A statement that the study involves research, an explanation of the purposes of the research and the
expected duration of the subject's participation, a description of the procedures to be followed, and
identification of any procedures which are experimental.

2. A description of any reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts to the subject;

3. A description of any benefits to the subject or to others which may reasonably be expected from the
research;

4. A disclosure of appropriate alternative procedures or courses of treatment, if any, that might be

advantageous to the subject;

5. A statement describing the extent, if any, to which confidentiality of records identifying the subject
will be maintained;

6. For research involving more than minimal risk, an explanation as to whether any compensation and
an explanation as to whether
any medical treatments are available if injury occurs and, if so, what they consist of, or where further
information may be obtained;

7. An explanation of whom to contact for answers to pertinent questions about the research and
research subjects' rights, and whom to contact in the event of a research-related injury to the subject;
and

8. A statement that participation is voluntary, refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of
benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and the subject may discontinue participation at
any time without penalty of loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled.
 RIGHTS OF HUMAN SUBJECT
Confidentiality
Assuring confidentiality is a primary responsibility of all researchers .
All participants in a research study must be informed
about what happens to the data collected from them or about them and
be assured that all data will b e held in confidence.

Specific strategies to ensure confidentiality:

To protect your privacy, the following measures will ensure that
others do not
learn your identity or what you tell me.

1. No names will be used in transcribing from the audio tape or in

TS

writing up
GH

the case study. Each person will be assigned a letter name as

RI
AN

follows: Μ for
M

mother, F for father, MSI for male first sibling, and so on.
HU

2. All identifying characteristics, such as occupation, city, and

ethnic background will be changed.

3. The audio tapes will be reviewed only in my home (and in the

office of my
thesis adviser).
 ction
Data Colle

ETHICAL ISSUES IN DATA COLLECTION

It is important to exercise responsibility in the processes you use to gather data for your
study. In the social sciences, data are collected primarily through questionnaires, interviews,
participant observations, or through an action research approach.

Factors to consider in data collection:

1. Access to Research Sites

2. Recording Data
ETHICAL ISSUES IN DATA ANALYSIS
AND INTERPRETATION
Data analysis is making sense of the data and interpreting
them appropriately so as to not mislead readers.

Fabrication is making up data or results.

Falsification is changing data or results to deliberately A N AL

YS
INTER IS AND
distort them and then including them in your research report. PRETA
TION
ETHICAL ISSUES IN REPORTING RESEARCH FINDINGS
REPORTING

Ethical researchers report results honestly and objectively. They don't

hide negative results, engage in selective reporting, or omit conflicting
data for deceptive purposes.

Plagiarism – is the theft of ideas.

Three ways in which you can be guilty of plagiarizing:
1. Using others' words or ideas without giving them proper credit
2. Using others' exact words without quotation marks or indentation
3. Closely paraphrasing others' words (even if citing the source)

Paraphrasing is simply restating in your own words what others

reported and then citing the source. How closely you parallel their
words, even when correctly citing the source, determines the degree to
which you may be plagiarizing.
ETHICS OF WRITING UP A RESEARCH
OTHER ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. COPYRIGHT LAW
Copyright protects original works of authorship, including both
published and unpublished works. It gives the copyright owner the
exclusive right to reproduce his or her work from the moment of creation
up to 70 years after the author's death.

2. PROTECTION OF YOUR DISSERTATION

Copyright is secured automatically when your work is created.

However, to offset unauthorized use of your original work, It is strongly
advise that you place the copyright notice on your dissertation. Placing the

©
copyright notice on your dissertation notifies others of your intent to protect
your rights.
 SUMMARY

Ethical issues arise in all aspects of conducting research. This chapter

focused on enhancing your understanding about ethical issues such as
the rights of human subjects, data collection, data analysis and interpretation,
reporting research findings, plagiarism, writing up research, and
other ethical considerations such as copyright law, protection of your
dissertation, and protection of others' work used in your dissertation.
Now it is time to prepare for the climb. The first step is to select an interesting,
researchable topic to investigate. The next chapter provides some
approaches to choosing your topic, where to look for potential topics,
and criteria for topic selection.
 THANK YOU!

Presented by : Bhenjhan I. Abbilani

©
“verily in every hardship, there is ease” – Quran 94 : 5-6