Research Ethics

Tristram Hooley
Why are we doing this?
 New University policy
(http://www.derby.ac.uk/research/ethics/policy-document)
 Thinking about ethics can make you a better
scholar and researcher.
 Because we want you, your research
participants and the University to be
protected.
What are ethics?
 what we mean by “ethics”
 what do you do when you behave “ethically”
 what do we mean by “research ethics”?
 what is it in particular about research that
requires ethical regulation?
 what kind of research might you do that
would raise ethical questions?
A definition of ethics
1. The science of morals
2. The moral principles by which a person is
guided

Adapted from the OED.

Basic principles
 non-malfeasance: doing, or permitting, no
official misconduct. It is the principle of doing
no harm in the widest sense.

 Beneficence: the requirement to serve the

interests and well being of others, including
respect for their rights. It is the principle of
doing good in the widest sense.
The Milgram Experiment
Basic principles: before the
project
 Obtain informed consent in advance
 Avoid coercion and be aware of power relations e.g.
doctor-patient/teacher pupil
 Respect the right of individuals to make their own
decisions about participation
 No deception
 Incentives should not be unreasonable e.g. more than
nominal amounts of money, improving degree
classification.
 Don’t promise more than you can deliver e.g. anonymity
and confidentiality.
Basic principles: during the
project
 Process-based consent: Consent for participation in each
part of the research should be sought on an ongoing basis.
 People should have the right to change their mind and opt
out or not take part in elements of the research without
giving a reason.
 No harm either physical or psychological
 to participants
 to researcher
 Think about the reading age and complexity of written
material.
Basic principles: personal
safety
First and foremost the researcher should make
sure that they look after themselves.

Physically – Don’t put yourself into dangerous situations

without precautions.
Psychologically – Think about the psychological effects on
yourself of what you are going to find out.
Professionally – Your research should not require you to
put your professional life at risk.
Guidelines for safety of lone
researchers
 How to Interview
http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/howtointerview/safety.html
 University of Derby Code of Practice for Evening, Weekend and
Lone Working
http://www.derby.ac.uk/files/evening_weekend_and_lone_working_code.doc
 Social Research Association - A Code of Practice for the Safety
of Social Researchers:
http://www.the-sra.org.uk/staying_safe.htm
 The Suzy Lamplugh Trust website is at: http://
www.suzylamplugh.org/home/index.shtml
 Safety tips from the Home Office at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/besafebesecure.pdf?version =1
Basic principles: after
 Researchers and participants should have an
opportunity to debrief.
 Don’t promise anonymity and confidentiality if
you can’t give it.
 Participants should be able to check and
agree data and withdraw consent.
More than minimal risk
 research involving vulnerable groups
 research involving sensitive topics
 research involving groups where permission of a gatekeeper is
normally required for initial access to members
 research involving deception or which is conducted without
participants’ full and informed consent at the time the study is carried
out
 research involving access to records of personal or confidential
information, including genetic or other biological information,
concerning identifiable individuals
 research which would induce psychological stress, anxiety or
humiliation or cause more than minimal pain
 research involving intrusive interventions
Research Ethics Review Form
(Tips)
 Talk it over at research team meetings
 Make sure you find out deadlines and get the form in on
time.
 Do not try and hide anything on ethics forms. You will be
found out.
 Be specific and clear about what you are going to do.
There is no point in putting in a form for a project that you
haven’t developed.
 Make sure you attach the consent forms and information
sheets that you will be using.
 Estimate the number of participants that you will talk to.
Consent forms and
Information Sheets
They should have a number of features:
 Say who you are, where you are from and what you are doing
 Say what the information will be used for, how long it will be kept
for and how if will be kept securely
 Tell the person how they were selected to participate
 Allow the person to agree to participate with a particular level of
anonymity
 Inform the participant that they may pull out of the research at
any time
 A name of someone not involved in the research who the
research participant can contact if they have any concerns
 Should be tailored to the type of person you are working with,
e.g. young people, parents, adults
 Should be concise
The process at Derby
 Documentation at
http://www.derby.ac.uk/research/ethics
Case studies
 Learning in the NHM
 Death and religion
 Miscarriage and online support
Learning in the NHM
This project will investigate whether young people learn more from a
visit to the Natural History Museum if they visit with groups of
people of their own age. The project will investigate the
effectiveness of the Natural History Museum as a site for learning. It
will establish whether visiting the museum with groups of other
young people encourages learning to take place. All participants will
sit a test under exam conditions to establish levels of knowledge
acquired. They will then complete a questionnaire to provide context
and evaluative feedback. Young people will be approached on
visiting the museum and asked to volunteer half an hour of their
time. Participants who agree to take part in the study will be given a
£3 token for the museum shop.
Death and religion
This project will explore the attitudes of grieving people
to death..The project will examine how people who
have recently lost a friend or relative perceive death. In
particular it will look at whether religious or spiritual
view become more prevalent when faced with
bereavement.

Grieving relatives will be interviewed and their

testimonies recorded. I work as an undertaker’s
assistant so I have easy access to large numbers of
grieving relatives. Participant will all be visitors to the
funeral parlor where I work.
Miscarriage and online support
 This project will examine women’s experience of miscarriage and
to explore how online support groups have helped people to
understand and deal with this experience. To examine how the
users of the BBC website have used the BBC forum on
miscarriage to help them cope with their own experience. The
project will also look at how the users of that website form a
community and examine the roles that users of the forum play in
that community.

 The research will be based of an observation of the discussion

board, detailed textual analysis of the postings and the mapping
networks of correspondence. The discussion board is public and
so no additional permission will be sought. The BBC has been
chosen because it offers a public place in which these issues can
be discussed.
In conclusion
 Give yourself time to get ethical approval.
 Build ethics into the design of your project and the project
timeline.
 Think carefully about how you identify participants. How will you
use gatekeepers?
 Think about how you will approach and recruit participants – how
will the study be presented to them and will they have time to
consider this and make up their minds?
 Can people opt in and out of different aspects of your research?
 How are you going to deal with non-responders?
 How is data going to be stored? Will it be destroyed or archived?
References
 Blaxter L., Hughes C., & Tight M. (2001) 2nd edition. How
to research (especially Chapter 6: 153-191).
 British Educational Research Association (2004). Revised
Ethical Guidelines.
 British Sociological Association (2004). Statement of
Ethical Practice.
 Economic and Social Research Council (2005). Research
Ethics Framework.
 Homan R (1991) The Ethics of Social Research. London:
Longman.
 Other links http://www.derby.ac.uk/research/ethics/links