Ethical Issues in Research | SpringerLink To create environments conducive to the development of quality research, it is important to challenge the phenomenon of social acceleration, which insidiously imposes a quantitative normativity that is both alienating and detrimental to the quality and ethical conduct of research. I read them to evaluate them and I have a certain level of education and experience in ethics, and there are times when I dont understand anything (participant 2). The challenge is arguably greater still for qualitative research, where participants are asked to speak in depth about often very personal, private or challenging issues, and rapport and support . There are a lot of women working on inequality issues, doing work and its funny because I was talking to a young woman who works at Cairo University and she said to me: Listen, I saw what you had written, youre right. You make up for it, but at the same time its a bit because were in a hurry, we dont necessarily have the resources or are able to take the time to do things well from the start, we have to make up for it later. Ethical problems of marketing researchers. An empirical study of technology researchers perceptions of ethical issues in developing smart-home health technologies. Bruhn et al., (2002) developed a typology of misbehaviour and misconduct in academia that can be used to judge the seriousness of different cases. The majority (87.5%) of participants were working in Quebec, with the remaining working in other Canadian provinces. If you dare to raise something, youre going to have many, many problems. As indicated above, three types of participants were sought: (1) researchers from different academic disciplines conducting research (i.e., theoretical, fundamental or empirical) in Canadian universities; (2) REB members working in Canadian organizations responsible for the ethical review, oversight or regulation of research; and (3) research ethics experts, i.e., academics or ethicists who teach research ethics, conduct research in research ethics, or are scholars who have acquired a specialization in research ethics. The introduction consisted of general questions to put the participant at ease (i.e., Tell me what a typical day at work is like for you). [] Then, I find that its boring because you go through university and you come to do your research and you know how to do quantitative and qualitative research, but all the research ethics, where do you get this? I saw a colleague who had plagiarized another colleague. Conducting Qualitative Research Online: Challenges and Solutions - Springer What is the nature of the situation? Swisher LL, Arsalanian LE, Davis CM. Fitting transphobia and cisgenderism in occupational therapy. Indeed, many authors (e.g., Fraser 2011; Mills, 2017; Sen, 2011; Young, 2011) have, since Rawls (1971), proposed different visions of how social burdens and benefits should be shared within a community to ensure equal respect, fairness, and distribution. In this study, ten categories of ethical issues were identified, described and illustrated: (1) research integrity, (2) conflicts of interest, (3) respect for research participants, (4) lack of supervision and power imbalances, (5) individualism and performance, (6) inadequate ethical guidance, (7) social injustices, (8) distributive injustices, (9) epistemic injustices, and (10) ethical distress. Before and transmitted securely. The websites of Canadian universities and Canadian health institution REBs, as well as those of major Canadian granting agencies (i.e., the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Fonds de recherche du Quebec), were searched to identify individuals who might be interested in participating in the study. I didnt want to get in the boat. La recherche qualitative: enjeux pistmologiques et mthodologiques. Bruhn JG, Zajac G, Al-Kazemi AA, Prescott LD. A qualitative research approach involving individual semi-structured interviews was used to systematically document ethical issues (De Poy & Gitlin, 2010; Hammell et al., 2000). Davison J. Dilemmas in Research: Issues of Vulnerability and Disempowerment for the Social Workers/Researcher. I think there are times when you have to talk () because there are going to be irreparable consequences. Listening to Patients: A Phenomenological Approach to Nursing Research and Practice. the contents by NLM or the National Institutes of Health. Sixteen individuals (n=16) participated in the study, of whom nine (9) identified as female and seven (7) as male (Table2). These ethical issues have significant negative consequences for students. The flexibility enables researchers and participants to delve deeper into different topic areas and issues relating to the study. In this paper, we discuss core ethical and methodological considerations in the design and implementation of qualitative research in the COVID-19 era, and in pivoting to virtual methodsonline interviews and focus groups; internet-based archival research and netnography, including social media; participatory video methods, including photo elicit. 12 Interesting Ethical Topics for Essay Papers. 180 Ethics Topics & Ethical Questions to Debate The steps proposed by Giorgi (1997) for a Husserlian phenomenological reduction of the data were used. Two tools were used for data collecton: (a) a socio-demographic questionnaire, and (b) a semi-structured individual interview guide. In the case of researchers, this refers to situations that undermine independence, integrity, neutrality, or even the set of principles that govern research ethics (TCPS2, 2018) or the responsible conduct of research. University research is carried out in a highly competitive environment that is characterized by ever-increasing demands (i.e., on time, productivity), insufficient access to research funds, and within a market economy that values productivity and speed often to the detriment of quality or rigour this research context creates a perfect recipe for breaches in research ethics, like research misbehaviour or misconduct (i.e., conduct that is ethically questionable or unacceptable because it contravenes the accepted norms of responsible conduct of research or compromises the respect of core ethical values that are widely held by the research community) (Drolet & Girard, 2020; Sieber, 2004). What are the consequences, for whom, for how many people, and for which organizations?). Participants also mentioned the exploitation of students by certain research teams, which manifest when students are inadequately paid, i.e., not reflective of the number of hours actually worked, not a fair wage, or even a wage at all. Whether it is discrimination against stigmatized or marginalized populations or interest in certain hot topics, granting agencies judge research projects according to criteria that are sometimes questionable, according to those participants. Interviews were digitally recorded so that the verbatim could be transcribed in full, and varied between 40 and 120min in duration, with an average of 90min. When contacted by email by the research assistant, participants were asked to confirm under which role they wished to participate (because some participants might have multiple, overlapping responsibilities) and they were sent the appropriate interview guide. PDF Ethical issues in the use of in-depth interviews: literature review and As mentioned previously, seven (7) participants held more than one role, i.e., REB member, research ethics expert, and researcher. I think its unconscious, nobody is overtly racist. Participants felt that this culture can have a significant negative impact on the quality of the research conducted, as research teams try to maximize the quantity of their work (instead of quality) in a highly competitive context, which is then exacerbated by a lack of resources and support, and where everything must be done too quickly. Social injustices were experienced or reported by many participants, and included issues related to difficulties in obtaining grants or disseminating research results in ones native language (i.e., even when there is official bilingualism) or being considered credible and fundable in research when one researcher is a woman. Ethical dilemmas encountered by members of the American Psychological Association: A national survey. Ethical issues in the use of in-depth interviews: literature review and discussion. Drolet, M. J., & Goulet, M. (2018). Specifically, a descriptive phenomenological approach inspired by the philosophy of Husserl was used (Husserl, 1970, 1999), as it is recommended for documenting the perceptions of ethical issues raised by various practices (Hunt & Carnavale, 2011). It is not always as protected as one might think, because professor-researchers will run out of space. Its not my job to translate, because lets be honest, Im not as good in English as I am in French. We engage people at the community level. Dresser (1998) said that the administrative burden of ethical reviews and procedures is balanced by the protection of participants. [When the colleague] found out about it, he complained. (2022). Researchers who use inductive (or qualitative) methods observed that their projects are sometimes less well reviewed or understood, while research that adopts a hypothetical-deductive (or quantitative) or mixed methods design is better perceived, considered more credible and therefore more easily funded. Ethical considerations related to the balance of power and potential for change in respondents' professional actions and decisions post-interview are discussed whilst problematizing the concept of truly informed consent. Further, although most of the ethical issues discussed in this article may be transferable to the realities experienced by researchers in other countries, the epistemic injustice reported by Francophone researchers who persist in doing research in French in Canada which is an officially bilingual country but in practice is predominantly English is likely specific to the Canadian reality. Readings focus on fieldwork roles and relations, observing and describing, writing field notes, field interviewing, ethical issues, and preliminary data analysis. Introduction to methods, techniques, and issues in conducting field-based research, including nature, uses, and limitations of major data-gathering procedures, ethical concerns, sampling, checks and controls, teamwork, interventions, and results as not only tangible and impersonal outcomes of inquiry but also personal and . The triangulation of perceptions and experiences of different actors involved in research is a strength of our study. Indeed, they sometimes find themselves at the mercy of researchers, for whom they work, struggling to be recognized and included as authors of an article, for example, or to receive the salary that they are due. People [in vulnerable situations] were previously unable to participate because of overly strict research ethics rules that were to protect them, but in the end [these rules] did not protect them. However, participants in our study i.e., REB members, researchers, and research ethics experts noted that some research teams seem to put their own interests ahead of those of research participants. 7 of the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2, 2018). In terms of their knowledge of ethics, five (5) participants reported having taken one university course entirely dedicated to ethics, four (4) reported having taken several university courses entirely dedicated to ethics, three (3) had a university degree dedicated to ethics, while two (2) only had a few hours or days of training in ethics and two (2) reported having no knowledge of ethics. Then, with the rise of the vegan movement, [we must ask ourselves]: Do animals still have a place in research? Thats a big question and it also means that there are practices that need to evolve, but sometimes theres a disconnection between whats expected by research ethics boards versus whats expected in the field (participant 15). 1. Further, the majority of studies in our sample (n=12) collected the perceptions of a homogeneous group of participants, usually researchers (n=14) and sometimes health professionals (n=6). Added to these demands are a lack of resources (human, ethical, and financial), a lack of support and recognition, and interpersonal conflicts. These authors also remind us of the relevance of Kahnemans (2012) work which demonstrates that it takes time to think analytically, thoroughly, and logically. The question that prompted this research was: What are the ethical issues in research? Swazey JP, Anderson MS, Lewis KS. Ethical Issues in the Use of In-Depth Interviews Some researchers have told me: Listen; there are even filing cabinets in the corridors. Is it just name and phone number or are you getting into more sensitive information? The repeated reading of the verbatim allowed the first analyst to write a synopsis, i.e., an initial extraction of units of meaning. Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma. So, most of my students didnt get funded (participant 16). I think there are a lot of graduate students who must have gone through that, but it is like, Well, your CV has to be really good, if you want to do a lot of things and big things. Tell them its all very well to have an ethics committee, but you have to help us, you also have to make sure that the necessary infrastructures are in place so that what we are proposing is really put into practice (participant 4). A previous detailed review of the international literature on ethical issues in research revealed several interesting findings (Beauchemin et al., 2021). Many research teams are composed not only of researchers, but also of students who work as research assistants. Research ethics guidance - ESRC - UKRI I finally accept their conditions [which was to work for free]. Women researchers, francophone researchers, early career researchers or researchers belonging to racialized groups all discussed inequities in the distribution of research grants and awards, and the extra work they need to do to somehow prove their worth. Drolet MJ, Sauvageau A, Baril N, Gaudet R. Les enjeux thiques de la formation clinique en ergothrapie. Triangulating the perspectives of researchers with those of REB members and research ethics experts enabled us to bring these elements to light, and thus to step back from and critique the way that research is currently conducted. PDF Ethics in primary research (focus groups, interviews Pope KS, Vetter VA. After collecting, recording, and transcribing the interviews, all verbatim were analyzed by at least two analysts: a research assistant (2nd author of this article) and the principal investigator (1st author) or a postdoctoral fellow (3rd author). In addition, and as mentioned above, recruitment proved exceedingly difficult, particularly amongst researchers. So yes, there are still many barriers [for women in research] (participant 16). Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Most of the excerpts have been translated into English as the majority of interviews were conducted with French-speaking participants. These situations make me work 23 times harder to prove myself and to show people in power that I have a place as a woman in research (participant 12). Bouffard C. Le dveloppement des pratiques de la gntique mdicale et la construction des normes biothiques. Godrie B, Dos Santos M. Prsentation: ingalits sociales, production des savoirs et de lignorance. PDF FAQ 13: What are the ethical issues involved in researching children? Blais, J., & Drolet, M. J. The review returned three types of article: general discussion, issues in particular studies, and studies of interview-based research ethics. With research assistants, this is often a problem that I have observed: for grant machines, the person is the last to be found there. This study, which gave voice to researchers, REB members, and ethics experts, reveals that the ethical issues in research are related to several problematic elements as power imbalances and authority relations. Revised on December 2, 2022. Multiple Publications: The Main Reason for the Retraction of Papers in Computer Science. (2021). There was a perverse effect, because in the end there was very little research done with these people and thats why we have very few results, very little evidence [to support practices with these populations] so it didnt improve the quality of services. Husserl E. The train of thoughts in the lectures. The combination or intersectionality of these inequities, which seems to be characterized by a lack of ethical support and guidance, is experienced in the highly competitive and individualistic context of research; it provides therefore the perfect recipe for researchers to experience ethical distress. Conversely, thinking quickly exposes humans to cognitive and implicit biases that then lead to errors in thinking (e.g., in the analysis of ones own research data or in the evaluation of grant applications or student curriculum vitae). Further, it enabled the identification of additional ethical issues, especially systemic injustices experienced in research. Abstract. government site. Although the potential for such conflicts has always existed, pressures on researchers (i.e., to delay or withhold dissemination of research outcomes or to use inappropriate recruitment strategies) heighten concerns that conflicts of interest may affect ethical behaviour (p. 92). Compromis, dilemmes et paradoxes en thique clinique. Published version ALLMARK, P. J., BOOTE, J., CHAMBERS, E., CLARKE, A., MCDONNELL, A., THOMPSON, A. and TOD, A. Discussion of the ethical principles of beneficence, justice and . And eventually, ethical paradoxes lead individuals to situations of distress and burnout, or even to ethical failures (i.e., misbehaviour or misconduct) in the face of the impossibility of responding to contradictory injunctions. Participants noted that there are ethical silences in their organizations on this issue, and that the culture of individualism and performance is not challenged for fear of retribution or simply to survive, i.e., to perform as expected. Ethical temptations correspond to situations in which people are tempted to prioritize their own interests to the detriment of the ethical goods that should, in their own context, govern their actions (Swisher et al., 2005). It is integrity, what we believe should be done or said. I, for example, was promised a lot of advancement, like when I got into the lab as a graduate student, it was said that I had an interest in [this particular area of research]. Finally, this study brought to the fore several problematic elements that are important to address if the research community is to develop and implement the solutions needed to resolve the diverse and transversal ethical issues that arise in research institutions. That was very hard to know who is telling the truth and who is not (participant 1). All were limited toEnglish language. When we use qualitative data collection techniques, we usually spend a lot of time with research populations. Answer a handful of multiple-choice questions to see which statistical method is best for your data. Hes just as happy with what hes doing. Major ethical requirements of scientific study include five fundamental ethical principles, which needs to be considered at the research planning and designing phases: first, minimizing the risk of harm to the participants; second, securing informed consent from the identified research participants; third, protecting the anonymity and confidenti. That said, it would have been helpful to also give more space to issues experienced by students or research assistants, as the relationships between researchers and research assistants are at times very worrying, as noted by a participant, and much work still needs to be done to eliminate the exploitative situations that seem to prevail in certain research settings. In general, ethical issues occur at three key moments or stages of the research process: (1) research design (i.e., conception, project planning), (2) research conduct (i.e., data collection, data analysis) and (3) knowledge translation or communication (e.g., publications of results, conferences, press releases) (Drolet & Ruest, accepted). Further, operating in highly competitive environments, while trying to respect the values and ethical principles of research, creates ethical paradoxes for members of the research community. According to Malherbe (1999), an ethical paradox is a situation where an individual is confronted by contradictory injunctions (i.e., do more, faster, and better). The phenomenon of social acceleration, which pushes the researcher to think faster and faster, is likely to lead to unethical bad science that can potentially harm humankind. It is really a barrier to research to not be able to () address this question [i.e. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 72 years, with a mean age of 47.5 years. Balk DE. To ensure a rich and most complete representation of perceptions, we sought participants with varied and complementary characteristics with regards to the social roles they occupy in research practice (Drolet & Girard, 2020). As many participants reported, researchers work in organizations that set very high productivity standards and in highly competitive contexts, all within a general culture characterized by individualism. Fraser DM. In addition, although the interview guide contained the same questions, they were adapted to participants specific roles (i.e., researcher, REB member, research ethics expert). Birchley G, Huxtable R, Murtagh M, Meulen RT, Flach P, Gooberman-Hill R. Smart homes, private homes? The research environment is highly competitive and performance-based. 1. Sieber JE. ), and (b) the scope and severity (i.e., is this the first instance or a recurrent behaviour? As such, all research involving human beings should be reviewed by an ethics committee to ensure that the appropriate ethical standards are being upheld. Some people will lie or exaggerate their research findings in order to get funding. To this end, we conducted an empirical qualitative study to document the perceptions and experiences of a heterogeneous group of Canadian researchers, REB members, and research ethics experts, to answer the following broad question: What are the ethical issues in research? In the context of this study, several participants including a research assistant, REB members, and researchers discussed the lack of supervision or recognition of the work carried out by students, psychological pressure, and the more or less well-founded promises that are sometimes made to students. Despite this difficulty, we obtained data saturation for all but two themes i.e., exploitation of students and ethical issues of research that uses animals. Exploring the ethical issues of the research interview in the cancer 5 Common Ethical Interview Questions and Sample Answers So, it happens that the student will do a lot of work and then we realize that the work is poorly done, and it is not necessarily the students fault. Interviewing Children and Young People for Research Drolet MJ, Maclure J. Les enjeux thiques de la pratique de lergothrapie: perceptions dergothrapeutes. The purpose of the study was to describe these issues from the perspective of researchers (from different disciplines), research ethics board (REB) members, and research ethics experts. Womens inequality is going to be addressed [but not within the country where the research takes place as if this inequality exists elsewhere but not here]. According to COPE, "good research should be well adjusted, well-planned, appropriately designed, and ethically approved. Methodological and Ethical Considerations when Conducting Qualitative He had another candidate in mind, and he was angry about the selection. For instance, ethical standards govern conduct in medicine, law, engineering, and business. In particular, our results highlight the role of systemic injustices be they social, distributive or epistemic within the environments in which research is carried out, at least in Canada. De lthique lergothrapie: un cadre thorique et une mthode pour soutenir la pratique professionnelle. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal () I was supposed to get coaching or be supported, but I didnt get anything in the end. [As a research assistant], it was more of a feeling of distress that I felt then because I didnt know what to do. To our knowledge, only one study has examined perceptions of ethical issues in research by research ethics board members (REB; Institutional Review Boards [IRB] in the USA), and none to date have documented the perceptions of research ethics experts. I think that researchers really have this fantasy of saying to themselves: as soon as people walk through the door of our institution, they become potential participants with whom we can communicate and get them involved in all projects.
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