Research Ethics

Start with the main ideas

The mind map Ethics in research is a useful starting point. It brings together privacy, respect for research subjects, and the integrity of the researcher and data. It also mentions asking permission and labeling responses so participants cannot be identified.

For another view, open the slides Ethical Issues Influencing Research Methods. They introduce guidelines that include informed consent, confidentiality, privacy and harm to participants. Compare these ideas with the branches of the mind map as you study.

Explore participants and decisions

The Ethical Behaviour mind map focuses on respect and the rights of voluntary participants. It includes the wording of questions and the care needed when asking about personal matters. The note Ethics discusses risks and benefits, including the need to maximize benefits and minimize potential harm.

Use these resources to compare how different materials present ethical decisions. You can return to the first mind map and identify where respect, privacy and potential harm appear in your reading.

Combine maps, flashcards and quizzes

After studying a map, use the Research Ethics flashcards to review questions about valid consent and informed consent. The Ethics flashcards also ask about integrity and the differences between morals, ethics and laws.

Then try the quiz on anonymity or the quiz that asks you to identify an ethical principle from a description. Return to the maps and notes when you want to look at an idea again.

Place the topic in the unit

Research Ethics is a section of Introduction to Research Methods, in Research methods and academic skills. These resources let you focus on ethical issues within that unit, using different formats to approach the same topic.

Choose a map and a quiz to build your own study sequence.