Welcome Language Researchers! This topic of research ethics is very much relevant to your endeavor. As you embark on this journey of language research, there are many things that you need to consider and one of them is research ethics. So hang on and together, we will discover what are the mandates of ethics in research as well as the various considerations of it.
Intended learning outcomes
By the completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
- define research ethics;
- identify various ethical principles in research;
- recognize the importance of ethics in research; and
- adhere to these ethical principles when you write your research paper.
“There is no right way to do a wrong thing.” ~ Adapted
What is Research Ethics?
Research ethics is specifically interested in the analysis of ethical issues that are raised when people are involved as participants in a research endeavor. Research that involves human subjects or participants raises unique and complex ethical, legal, social and political issues.
Objectives of Research Ethics
- To protect human participants.
- To ensure that research is conducted in a way that serves interests of individuals, groups and/or society as a whole.
- To examine specific research activities and projects for their ethical soundness.
Some issues related to research ethics
- Plagiarism
- Misuse of privileged information
- Data manipulation
- Authorship and other publication concerns
- Interference on the conduct of research
- Research with humans and animals
- Sensitive subjects or areas
Principles of ethical conduct of research
- Honesty. Strive for honesty in all research communication. Report data truthfully. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data. Do not deceive colleagues, funding agencies or the public.
- Objectivity. Avoid bias at all times.
- Integrity. Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity and strive for consistency of thought and action.
- Carefulness. Avoid careless errors and negligence; cautiously and critically examine your own work and the work of your peers.
- Openness. Share data, results, ideas, tools, and resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.
- Competence. Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong education and learning.
- Legality. Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies on research.
- Animal care. Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research.
- Confidentiality. Protect confidential communications such as papers or grants submitted for publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient’s records.
- Respect for Intellectual property. Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without permission. Never plagiarize.
- Responsible publication. Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not just for your own career.
- Responsible mentoring. Help educate, mentor, and advise students.
- Respect for colleague. Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.
- Social responsibility. Promote social good and help mitigate social ills through research, public education and other research-based advocacy.
- Non-discrimination. Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their scientific competence or integrity.
- Protection of human subjects. Minimize harm and unnecessary risk to humans when they are used as subjects in research.
References
- Fernandez, Grumo, et.al. (2013). A Work text in Writing in the Discipline. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
- Walton, Nancy. Research Ethics. https://researchethics.ca/what-is-research-ethics/ accessed at 9:00PM July 2, 2016
- http://britanymerida.weebly.com/ethical.html accessed at 9:00PM July 2, 2016