Ethical Issues Influencing Research Methods

Summary

• The British Sociological Association sets out ethical guidelines for the conduct of research, including the following principles.
• Informed consent
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Harm to participants
• Vulnerable groups
• Covert research
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQeUuxIzsfU (Embed)

Informed Consent

• Informed consent is the right of the participants to know they are taking part in a study, and the right to refuse to participate.
• Consent should be obtained before research begins and, if the study is lengthy, again at intervals throughout the process.
• 

Confidentiality and Privacy

• Researchers should keep the identity of research participants secret in order to help to prevent possible negative effects on them. Researchers should also respect their privacy.
• Personal information concerning research participants should be kept confidential.
• However, this ethical principle could be waved in the case of discovering domestic abuse against children for example.
• 

Harm to Participants

• Researchers need to be aware of the possible effects of their work on those they study.
• These could include police intervention, harm to employment prospects, social exclusion and psychological damage.
• Wherever possible, researchers should anticipate and prevent such harm.
• 

Vulnerable Groups

• Special care should be taken where research participants are particularly vulnerable because of their age, disability, or physical or mental health.
• For example, when studying children in schools, researchers should have regard for issues of child protection. They should obtain the consent of both the child and the parent, and they should provide information in language that the child can understand.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGIDHrYKJ2s (Embed)

Covert Research

• Covert research is when the researcher’s identity and research purpose are hidden from the people being studied.
• This can create serious ethical problems, such as deceiving or lying to people in order to win their trust or obtain information.
• Clearly, it is impossible to gain informed consent while at the same time keeping the research or its purpose secret.
• However, some sociologists argue that the use of covert methods may be justified in certain circumstances. These may include gaining access to secretive, dangerous or powerful groups.
•