1. Understanding Research in Library and Information Management
WEEK 6: RESEARCH ETHICS

2. Outline What are ethics?
What are common ethical issues that seem to surface in research?
When should ethical issues be considered?

3. Ethics
Research ethics concerns the responsibility of researchers to be honest and respectful to all individuals who are affected by their research studies or their reports of the studies’ results.

4. Ethics
Principles for guiding decision making and reconciling conflicting values
People may disagree on ‘ethics’ because it is based on people's personal value systems
What one person considers to be good or right may be considered bad or wrong by another person

5. Unethical Examples
Breaking and re-breaking of bones ( to see how many times they could be broken before healing failed to occur) Nazi
Patients had been injected with live cancer cells (Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital, NY, 1963)
400 men had been left to suffer with syphilis long after a cure ( penicillin) was available. (Tuskegee, Alabama, )
Milgram’s study sustained no physical harm, they suffered shame and embarrassment for having behaved inhumanely toward their fellow human beings.(1963)

6. Milgram’s Experiment Please continue.
The experiment requires that you continue.
It is absolutely essential that you continue.
You have no other choice, you must go on.

7. Major approaches to ethics
Deontological 道義 Approach - we should identify and use a Universal code when making ethical decisions. An action is either ethical or not ethical, without exception.
Ethical skepticism 懷疑論 - This is the relativist viewpoint, stating that ethical standards are not universal but are relative to one's particular culture and time.

8. Major approaches to ethics (2)
Utilitarianism 功利主義 - a very practical viewpoint, stating that decisions about the ethics of a study should depend on the balance of the consequences and benefits for the research participants and the larger society.
Used by most people in academia (such as Institutional Review Boards).
"Do the potential benefits outweigh the risks associated with this research?"

9. Ethical Concerns to the Research Community
1. The relationship between society and science.
Many research ideas come from areas considered important in society.
The government and other funding agencies use grants to affect the areas researchers choose to examine.

10. Ethical Concerns to the Research Community (2)
2. Professional issues.
The primary ethical concern here is fraudulent activity by scientists. Cheating or lying are never defensible.
Two related issues are partial publication(publishing several articles from the data collected in one large study) and duplicate publication (publishing the same results in more than one publication).
Partial publication is usually not unethical for large research studies where partial reports of data are likely.
Duplicate publication is sometimes acceptable when the results are being reported to different audiences in publications tailored to those particular audiences.

11. Ethical Concerns to the Research Community (3)
3. Treatment of research participants.
This is the most fundamental ethical issue.
It involves insuring that research participants are not harmed physically or psychologically.

12. The Belmont Report 1979
( 1) Individuals should consent to participate in studies and those who cannot give their consent, such as children, people with diminished abilities, and prisoners, need to be protected. ( 2) The researcher not harm the participants, minimize risks, and maximize possible benefits. ( 3) fairness in procedures for selecting participants.

13. APA Guide
The researcher is obligated to protect participants from physical or psychological harm.
During or after a study, participants may feel increased anxiety, anger, lower self- esteem, or mild depression, especially in situations in which they feel they have been cheated, tricked, deceived, or insulted.

14. Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk)
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Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk)
1. Integrity
respect the rights, dignity and worth of others,
accept responsibility for consequences of decisions,
commit to goodness, rightness, fairness and honesty
2. Competence
only undertake research you are capable of doing
3. Professional and scientific responsibility
design, conduct and report research in accordance with recognized principles and standards 14
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15. Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk)
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Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk)
4. Social responsibility
be aware of professional and scientific responsibility to the community, society and humanity in general
5. Concern for others’ welfare
take steps to protect the rights and interests of study participants and others affected by the research
6. Proportionality of risk
ensure that the importance of objectives is in proportion to the inherent risk to the human subjects 15
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16. Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk) Research-specific issues
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Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk) Research-specific issues
1. Informed consent – must be obtained in language understandable to participants and documented
2. Inducements to participate – should be appropriate and commensurate with standard practice
3. Deception – should only be used if techniques justified by scientific value and no alternatives feasible
should never deceive participants about aspects of the study that might affect their willingness to participate
researchers are obliged to debrief subjects on the nature of the deception as soon as is practically possible. 16
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17. Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk) Research-specific issues (2)
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Ethical integrity of research (edu.hk) Research-specific issues (2)
4. Invasiveness – should be kept to a minimum and involve minimal discomfort and no physical or other such risks
5. Commitments to participants – should be honored
6. Sharing of information – should provide prompt opportunity for participants to obtain information on the nature, results and conclusions of the research
7. Privacy and confidentiality – should be respected and maintained at all times 17
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18. Basic elements of a Consent Form
Title of the study
Introductory Sentence
Purpose of the study
Procedures
Potential risks/discomforts and their minimization
Compensation for participation
Potential benefits
Confidentiality
Participation and withdrawal
Questions and concerns
Signature

19. Informed Consent with Minors as Research Participants
Consent must be obtained from parents or guardians.
Assent must also be obtained from minors who are old enough or have enough intellectual capacity to say they are willing to participate.

20. There are three ways, and three ways only, to encourage participation ethically (Senese 1997):
Anonymity: Promise and keep your promises of anonymity. After identifying your sampling frame, try to forget about taking names or any other unique identifiers. Reassure people that you won't go to the media. Fill them in on what journal outlet you have planned.
Confidentiality: This is what you should promise if you can't keep anonymity. In other words, use confidentiality if you can't guarantee anonymity. It requires that you guarantee that no one will be individually identifiable in any way by you, that all your tables, reports, and publications will only discuss findings in the aggregate.
Informed Consent: Be honest and fair with your subjects. Tell them everything they want to know about your research. Be aware of any hidden power differentials that might be pressuring them to participate.

21. Discussion Scenario (1)
After a field study of deviant behavior during a riot, law enforcement officials demand that the researcher identify those people who were observed looting. Rather than risk arrest as an accomplice after the fact, the researcher complies.
Ethical issues?

22. Discussion Scenario (2)
A research questionnaire is circulated among students as part of their university registration packet. Although students are not told they must complete the questionnaire, the hope is that they will believe they must – thus ensuring a higher completion rate.
Ethical Issues?