Ethical Issues in Research - Essay Example

ETHICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH Introduction This paper will start off by explaining what ethics are. It will then illustrate how important it is to keepthem in mind while carrying out scientific or any other kind of research. Furthermore, it will explain the advantages of carrying out ethical research. It will discuss the problems, that is, the conflict between carrying out the perfect research and being perfectly ethical at the same time. Finally, it will take you through the codes of ethics and ways of promoting ethical research. Ethical Research 'Ethics' is knowledge of the difference between good and bad. It studies the principles about how we should do things right. We study ethics in order to improve our lives, and therefore its principal concern is the nature of human well-being. (Aristotles Ethics, 2007) Instinctively, this leads us to infer that morality (or, in other words, ethics) will have several advantages for us. We will go over those as we progress through the paper. Despite all these supposed advantages, there are still numerous ethical issues. This is because people interpret ethics differently. I might think of something as ethical while it may be totally unethical for another person. This is what leads to ethical problems and concerns. In the context of research, let's say, that a scientist feels that it is perfectly moral to test medicine on animals. He thinks so because his priority is benefit of science. An environmentalist, on the other hand, may feel apprehended at the thought of animals being made test subjects because his utmost priority is to protect the environment. What can we say about ethics here Both parties, in their places, are entirely reasonable. However, an ethical issue arises because both have different conventions for distinguishing between right and wrong. These issues are faced everyone everyday. Everybody comes to a point where they have to decide between what's right and what's not. This dilemma becomes especially apparent when carrying out research. There are specific norms for everything; in case of ethics of research, they are the aims or goals to be applied to people who conduct research in a systematic and scientific manner or other scholarly or creative activities, and there is a specific discipline, research ethics, on which these norms are based (Resnik, 2007). Ethical Issues Like mentioned above, these norms serve the goals of research. What are these goals The most important goal of research clearly is to find out whatever is possible about what is being studied. How does sticking to these ethical norms achieve this aim The answer is in the following section. While we get to that, we will study about the conflict of research and ethics. The biggest problem with carrying out ethical research is that it doesn't give perfectly naturalistic results. Either you can have an absolutely ecologically valid study or you can be absolutely moralistic and adhere to every ethical norm. Ecological validity is when the study is true to life. One may think, what has that got to do with ethics To carry out an ecologically valid research, it is important that subjects don't know about a lot of things that could cause demand bias characteristics or results that are affected by preconceived notions. And if subjects don't know a lot of things, this means that they haven't been told by the researchers and this is unethical. Researchers, on the other hand, may say that it was ethical as they kept things private for the benefit of science. Nevertheless, for an average person, it is unethical to keep things from the subjects of the study. This ethical issue is an honesty issue. Apart from honesty, another concern is confidentiality. When researchers carry out research and find amazing results, they feel obliged to share it with the rest if the world even if it means breaching of the initial agreement. Information about participants is leaked out and this too for them is for the good of science. Sharing results is one thing, while breaking a contact is another. The latter is a separate ethical concern and is entitled under 'integrity' while the former is closely related to 'anonymity' which emphasizes on keeping participants anonymous though out the study and afterwards too. Result propagation is not always prohibited in the agreement. Hence, they are separated as two different issues. The 'right to service' is another issue. This takes place when the research study that is carried out gives some kind of advantage to the participant. For example, the effects of Fraxel Laser surgery for acne scars are to be studied. The study will naturally help the participants with lightening their scars. The control group, or the no-treatment group, however, will get no benefit out of this and hence will have no right to the service. 'Voluntary Participation' is when people are not forced into participating in a study. On the other hand, everyone who wants to take part in the research study should not be allowed to participate because the researchers always know better. If it is harmful for a willing, he must be informed by the researcher. As a result, it is extremely important to choose participants justly. A better option is to adopt the principle of 'informed consent'. This suggests that researchers tell the subjects everything they need to know about the study before they can take part in it. The issues of honesty arise here. Therefore, researchers must be honest in informing the participants. All the issues mentioned above revolve around human participants or subjects. There is more to ethical research than that. Social responsibility is another concern. A research must be such that it prevents any social harm to the society. It must promote good and it must have implications for the society. Apart from being socially responsible, researchers are also responsible for mentoring. This means that the research ought to be such that it has something that students can learn and take advice from. It must be free from careless errors. Other ethical involve 'Respect for Intellectual Property'. This expects researchers to honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. It also demands them to not use unpublished data, methods, or results without permission and give proper acknowledgement or credit for all contributions to research. Other than this, other ethical issues concerning 'animal care' ask researchers to show respect and care for the animals and design and conduct well experiments (Shamoo et al., 2003) Why is it important to conduct 'Ethical Research' It is clearly difficult to adhere to ethical norms when there are so many issues involved. The results obtained are not what they should be if ethical research is carried out. Researchers are burdened with so many responsibilities. It causes demand bias characteristics in research and affects the research negatively. Why, then, must we adhere to them We must carry out ethical research because even with the issues, it has several advantages for the researchers as well as the research under consideration. Firstly, some of these norms such as avoidance of error and knowledge promote the aims of the study. For instance, it makes the research free of errors and the ethical norm that defines openness makes it available for the public to learn. (Rensik, 2007) It is also important to hold on to these standards because if researchers do, they gain themselves respect from the public. Researchers are accountable to the public and if their record and style of study is clean, their research is valued and they themselves are regarded. These norms of research ethics also serve as a guide to build a good image and public support for research study. People are more inclined towards funding the research project(s), given that they think they can trust the quality and integrity of research. (Rensik, 2007) Ethical norms promote responsibility. Because of this, researchers avoid jeopardizing their safety and the safety of others involved in the research. Apart from that, voluntary participation expects the researchers not to coerce participants to take part. This is more likely to generate better results than if subjects were forced to the study. Consequently, conducting ethical behavior apparently is better for both the society as well as the researchers, if carried out right. Conclusions A good way to promote ethical research is to provide training and education in research ethics. It is likely to reduce misconduct and even increase the chances of generating better results for the society as well as for the researchers themselves. Training is needed because there is no standard of 'ethical conduct' in numerous situations. In many cases, you are expected to make a decision according to your better judgment, values and morality. Training in research ethics will only make your judgment stronger. Furthermore, there has to be some kind of a procedure that assures that the researchers take all the relevant ethical issues into consideration while making research plan. This need for ethical conduct makes organizations put together an 'Institutional Review Board'. The IRB is a panel of people that review and grant proposals. In other words, it secures the rights and safety of the participants as well as the researchers. (Ethics in Research, 2006) In the end it is important to note that if researchers carry out unethical behavior, it is for the betterment of science. They do so to get accurate results and share them with the society and provide implications for them, which will help them in the future. No unethical behavior can be justified; however, its extent, intensity and intention must be taken into consideration before passing a judgment and/or decision about researchers who have adhered to it. The most important aspect of carrying out unethical behavior is whether it is worth it. Especially if during the process, participants are hurt in some way or the other. Researchers must ask themselves the question: "Is the design and is the question important enough socially that it offsets the burden" and "Is the research important enough and going to contribute enough in the field to make it worthwhile putting subjects through this"(Shore, 2007). Bibliography 1. Shamoo, Adil E. and Resnik, David B. 2003. Responsible Conduct of Research. Oxford University Press US. 2. Resnik, David B. (2007). What is Ethics in Research & Why is It Important. Retrieved April 6, 2008. Web site: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis.cfm 3. Ethics in Research (2006). Retrieved April 6, 2008. Web site: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/ethics.php 4. Aristotles Ethics(2007). Retrieved April 6, 2008, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web site: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/ 5. Shore, Nancy. (2007). Promoting Ethical Research. Retrieved on April 6, 2008 from, Journal of Social Work Value and Ethics. 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