: Challenges Related to Data Collection in Research - Essay Example

Challenges related to data collection in research July 20, Challenges related to data collection inresearchData collection is a fundamental stage in implementing research methodology. It is the basis for analysis and conclusions on a study’s research questions and hypotheses. Procedures and instruments for data collection may lead to bias and conflict of interest from stakeholders and identify ethical concerns. This paper explores informed consent, beneficence, and integrity as bases for ethical challenges to data collection in research, and discuses strategies for addressing the challenges.

The doctrine of informed consent is fundamental to data collection in research; it protects participants from exploitation by a researcher, and informs participants of a study’s scope. Obtaining informed consent also guarantees participants’ potential to make independent and rational decisions. Four major elements of informed consent, according to Largent, Grady, Hull, Wendler and Shah, identify its significant challenge data collection stage (2012). Besides need for autonomy and information to participants, informed consent requires participants’ understanding of involved research scope and a voluntary decision into participation and researchers’ interest in achieving sufficient sample size and participants’ non-biased response conflict consequences of informed consent doctrine.

This is because ensuring informed consent may lead to participants’ refusal to offer data and sensitivity to responses, factors that induce the challenge of whether a researcher should ensure informed consent or not.Conflict between the need to ensure beneficence and interest in target data is another challenge to the data collection stage. Beneficence, according to Grace, requires a researcher’s diligence to ensuring well being of the immediate society to a research environment (2009). The doctrine establishes a researcher’s duty of care and the need to ensure “physical, mental, and social well being” of research participants but data collection process threatens research participants’ well being.

This establishes the dilemma of whether a researcher should be ethical to implement beneficence doctrine or to focus on exploration of data (Grace, 2009, p. 178). Another potential ethical challenge is the choice to either act with integrity or to compromise “character traits, beliefs, decisions, and actions” in data analysis processes (Shamoo and Resnik, 2009, p. 23). The challenge tests a researcher’s ability to ensure ethical principles such as informed consent and beneficence or to compromise the doctrines for interest in data collection process.

The challenge of informed consent can be addressed through developing a plan that outlines a process for obtaining informed consent and incorporates all elements of informed consent. The strategy can be implemented through adherence to the developed plan. Developing background information on proposed data collection tools and process, and awareness of research participants is a suitable strategy for addressing the challenge to beneficence. The strategy can be implemented by conducting independent research on past application of data collection tools for similar studies and background information on research participants.

Self-awareness and knowledge of ethical principles can address challenge to integrity. Self-evaluation and review of ethical values can implement the strategy to addressing integrity challenge (Largent, et al., 2012; Grace, 2009; Shamoo and Resnik, 2009)Data collection stage, in a research, faces ethical challenges, and examples relates to integrity, informed consent, and beneficence. The challenges can however be addressed to ensure ethics in data collection. ReferencesGrace, P. (2009). Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice.

Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Largent, E. et al. (2012). Research ethics consultation: A casebook. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Shamoo, A. and Resnik, D. (2009). Responsible conduct of research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.