1. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications Chapter Three Ethics: What Are My Responsibilities as a Researcher?

2. Key Concepts Communication research could harm participants. Classic ethical positions provide bases for decisions about treating participants. Codes of practice provide practical guidelines about treating participants. Formal review is often required where research on humans is proposed. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

3. For Discussion Would you... ▫Deliberately deceive participants? ▫Accept funding from a source that wants your research to help sell its products? ▫Start false rumors? (push polling in politics) ▫Record people’s behavior without them being aware of it? Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

4. Some Classic Ethical Positions Judeo-Christian - “Do unto others.” VIDEO Kant – categorical imperative – A behavior is valid if you are willing to accept it as a universal rule. Bentham, Mill – utilitarianism – Greatest good for the greatest number. Rawls – “Veil of Ignorance” – Dispassionate; review all sides of decision equally. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

5. The Purpose of Ethics Codes The primary purpose of ethics codes in human communication research is to protect research participants. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

6. Key Points of Ethics Codes Do no harm. (similar to the medical field) Informed consent. (similar to HIPAA and FERPA) Voluntary participation. Participants can leave at any time. Debriefing after the study. Anonymity or confidentiality. (HIPAA and FERPA) Crediting other researchers. (avoid plagiarism) Full reporting. (4 out of 5 doctors recommend…) Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

7. Nazi Germany “Research” Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

8. Nuremberg & Helsinki Codes Nuremberg Code (1948) – ▫Participants must consent to research. ▫Research benefits must outweigh risks. Declaration of Helsinki (1964) – ▫Review by independent committee. ▫Informed consent. ▫Research by qualified individuals. ▫Research benefits should exceed risks. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

9. Tuskegee Experiment (1932-1972) Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

10. The Belmont ReportThe Belmont Report (1979) Respect for Persons ▫Information. (Such as a clinical trial) ▫Comprehension. (Mental capacity?) ▫Voluntariness. Beneficence ▫Maximize benefits/ minimize harm. Justice ▫Fair procedures and outcomes in selecting research subjects. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

11. Peer Review Basic Assumption: Those best equipped to evaluate your work and its impact on human participants are appropriately qualified people doing similar work to your own. Formal Review:  Institutional Review Boards, editorial process. Informal Review:  Networking, conferences. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

12. Institutional Review Board IRB A formal review mechanism established to review research proposals for their impact on human participants. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

13. Relationships of Participants to Researchers. Subject Respondent Informant Participant Collaborator Partner Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

14. Ethics of the Literature Review How far back in time to review. (recency) Use of secondary sources (summary articles) versus primary (original) sources. Reporting research that does not support your viewpoint. (objectivity) Reporting research that is proprietary (“owned”). Avoid plagiarism, even unintentional. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

15. Ethical Issues in Reporting Research Honesty. Plagiarism. Confidentiality or anonymity. Crediting others. Appropriate language. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

16. The Internet and Research Ethics Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

17. The Internet and Research Ethics Advantages Rapid access to large numbers of research participants. Low cost. Disadvantages Conceptual problems defining the Internet. Practical problems of sampling, obtaining consents & establishing authenticity of participants Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

18. The Internet Research Ethics Dilemma Human participants are being studied. Consent of participants is therefore required. versus The web is published content. Internet research is content analysis. Consent of participants is therefore not required. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

19. Guidelines for Internet Research The more vulnerable the participants, the greater the researcher’s obligation to protect them. The more public the venue, the less obligation there may be to protect individual privacy, confidentiality, & right to informed consent. Adopted from the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) - http://aoir.org/documents/ethics-guide. http://aoir.org/documents/ethics-guide. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

20. Chapter Summary Research Ethics... Focus on how research participants should be treated. Basic concern is protecting participants from harm. Review mechanisms include IRBs and informal peer review. Formal ethics codes include “Nuremberg”, “Helsinki”, the Belmont Report and the “Common Rule”. Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications

21. Web Resources The National Institutes of Health Bioethics Resources - http://bioethics.od.nih.gov/IRB.html American Psychological Association - http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx American Association for Public Opinion Research - http://www.aapor.org/aaporcodeofethics Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications