Human research ethics
Greg Downey
Department of Anthropology
Faculty of Arts
[email protected]
Ethics in research design and methods
General issues
Basic principles
• Ethics are professional, not moral.
• Ethics are designed to protect all involved
(subjects, researcher, community, university).
• Protect the safety, integrity, liberty and interest
of participants (including researcher).
• Founded on respect for and gratitude toward
those who make our research possible.
Five principles
• Informed consent.
• Protection from harm.
• Protection from exploitation.
• Confidentiality (anonymity).
• Protection of research
integrity.
Principles not what we might think...
• Although informed, written consent is the gold standard, there may be good reasons
for accepting other procedures.
Question of literacy, possibility of identifying individuals, reasonable expectation of
anonymity...
• Risks need to be considered and balanced against the importance of the research
and likely outcomes.
Research need not be ‘risk-free.’
• Question of the outcome of the research needs to be taken seriously.
If there is nothing to be gained for the participants, they cannot be expected to bear
much risk or other burden.
• Confidentiality v. anonymity.
Changing names & identifying information, even preserving anonymity in notes, but
problems of verification and possibility of seeking notoriety.
• Research integrity protected against good will of researcher & conflict of interest.
Research ethics review
Procedures of the Ethics Review Committee (Human ethics)
Things to keep in mind...
• Researchers get through this ALL THE TIME...
• Universities are in the business of research, including IMPROVING
review processes.
Do not be pre-traumatized or put on defensive by long-obsolete experiences.
• Review boards care more about what you DO than about what you
THINK.
Corollary: They do not care about internecine disciplinary conflicts, theoretical
complexities, or socio-political intellectual pseudo-activism...
• Ethics review is now more of a dialogue than a one-shot, yeah-or-nay
application for approval.
Unless project is really simple ethically, you will likely have to respond to
queries -- give yourself time.
How to run into the
most trouble possible...
• Be vague, especially about what
you will do...
• Start off defensive; assume that
you will be misunderstood and
actively thwarted.
• Be aggressive & self-righteous; let
them know that you suspect they
know nothing about ethics & that
you are incensed to be reviewed.
• Exaggerate the drama & danger
of project and then say there are
no risks.
• Procrastinate and then flip out
when a committee of 20 cannot
move with lightening speed.
Getting the forms
• http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researc
hers/ethics/human_ethics
• Get in through the ‘Research’ section.
• Look for ‘Ethics’ and then ‘Human Ethics’ on the side
menus.
• Download only what you need (read instructions).
• The long form is ridiculous with all the appendices.
Project description
From p. 26
Project description
• Greatest pitfall for many in Arts seems to be the
‘under-description’ of our methods.
• Problem is two-sided:
– Committee demands greater specificity than is sometimes
possible or customary.
– Some scholars are obdurate in not thinking through
research practice.
• You WILL NOT be approved without questions if you
are doing interviews, etc.
– The exercise can be extremely helpful.
Risks, psychological & other
Also asks about concealment, From p. 8
Risks, psychological & other
Goal is not no risk, but appropriate risk given ends
& that risk be addressed.
Balance by public interest, From p. 10
Informed consent
From p. 20
Informed consent
From p. 21
Informed consent
From p. 22
Privacy
Page includes section about feedback
From p. 17
Privacy
From p. 17
Recruitment
From p. 13
Recruitment
From p. 14
Recruitment
From pp. 14-15
Criminal activity
From p. 10
Ethics summary
• Focus on practical issues and
clarity of procedures.
• Concentrate on risks to subjects
and researcher.
• Informed consent is a principle, not
a one-size-fits-all process.
• Special issues with those needing
protection: children, disabled,
minorities, Aborigines, refugees...
• Reciprocity & public interest.
• Confidentiality & anonymity.
• Responsibility to report crime.
• Thesis is a public document.
Questions: ethics or
communication?
Thanks for your attention!