Ethical issues when doing research

For example, undocumented residents whose status was revealed outside the research could be deported, a grave risk. Residents in homeless shelters, nursing homes and half way houses have limited autonomy with respect to housing and are vulnerable to the authority of house managers.

They, as well as people who have experienced major injury, illness or disability that interferes with the quality of their lives , might be traumatized by unskillful interviewing.

The IRB strongly recommends that an undergraduate student who wishes to study a vulnerable population turn to group spokespeople, group representatives, expert informants, and professionals working with the population if they wish to learn sensitive information about the population. Members of vulnerable groups — excepting those who are identified as spokespeople — should not be asked sensitive questions, by which we mean questions that could re-traumatize them or that, if responses were revealed outside the research, could put respondents at risk.

Even when research activities do not require IRB review, they should include an informed consent process that: a identifies the researcher; b describes what is being requested of the person i. The latter contact information should be omitted if the project has not been reviewed by the IRB. The IRB website has several examples of consent documents.

The standard process of informed consent includes a written signed document. However, an oral unsigned consent process is acceptable for a minimal-risk project not submitted for IRB review, and may be acceptable for an IRB-reviewed project as well, as long as justification for not seeking signed consent is included in the application.

When oral consent is used, it is good practice for the researcher to give participants a document for their future reference stating what they were told i. Note that publication or other dissemination of findings does not in and of itself make the activity human subjects research.

The experience of the IRB has been that many student-initiated or class-related research activities do not meet the federal regulatory criteria for IRB jurisdiction.

However, the IRB will review any student-initiated or class-related human subjects project if the student or faculty advisor believes, and justifies briefly in the writing to the Research Integrity office, that the research falls under the regulatory jurisdiction of the IRB.

Students planning a project with human participants are encouraged to start by referring to the IRB website for information on What Types of Activities Require IRB Review , and to consult with their faculty advisor or the Research Integrity office to determine if they need IRB approval.

Some research activities may require IRB review, others may not. Regardless of whether or not the project requires such review, the rights and welfare of the human participants involved in the project must be protected. The IRB strongly recommends that students design minimal-risk research activities.

Most IRB-approved research at Lehigh is minimal risk research, and student-initiated research should, in general, be minimal risk as well.

How does R Upskill help you? Continue with Facebook. Sign in with Google. Log in with Linkedin. Log in with Twitter. Found this useful? If so, share it with your fellow researchers. This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage Conducting research is the first and most exciting step in a researcher's journey. No Yes. This means that you need to report your research honestly, and that this applies to your methods what you did , your data, your results, and whether you have previously published any of it.

You should not make up any data, including extrapolating unreasonably from some of your results, or do anything which could be construed as trying to mislead anyone. It is better to undersell than over-exaggerate your findings. You should aim to avoid bias in any aspect of your research, including design, data analysis, interpretation, and peer review. For example, you should never recommend as a peer reviewer someone you know, or who you have worked with, and you should try to ensure that no groups are inadvertently excluded from your research.

This also means that you need to disclose any personal or financial interests that may affect your research. Take care in carrying out your research to avoid careless mistakes. You should also review your work carefully and critically to ensure that your results are credible.

It is also important to keep full records of your research. If you are asked to act as a peer reviewer, you should take the time to do the job effectively and fully. You should always be prepared to share your data and results, along with any new tools that you have developed, when you publish your findings, as this helps to further knowledge and advance science.

You should also be open to criticism and new ideas. Not doing so is plagiarism. Obviously, you need to respect copyrights and patents, together with other forms of intellectual property, and always acknowledge contributions to your research. If in doubt, acknowledge, to avoid any risk of plagiarism. You should respect anything that has been provided in confidence. You should also follow guidelines on protection of sensitive information such as patient records.

However, when it comes to ethical considerations, some key questions can help us find the right approach for our studies. The importance of ethics in research cannot be understated.

On a personal level, you will strengthen your research and increase your opportunities to gain funding. An IRB secures the safety of human participants and prevents violation of human rights. It reviews the research aims and methodologies to ensure ethical practices are followed. If a research design does not follow the set ethical guidelines, then the researcher will have to amend their study. Applications for ethical approval will differ across institutions. Regardless, they focus on the benefits of your research and the risk to benefit ratio concerning participants.

Therefore, you need to effectively address both in order to get ethical clearence. It is vital that you make it clear that individuals are provided with sufficient information in order to make an informed decision on their participation.

In addition, you need to demonstrate that the ethical issues of consent, risk of harm, and confidentiality are clearly defined. You need to prove to the panel that your work is essential and will yield results that contribute to the scientific community. For this, you should demonstrate the following:. Integrity and transparency are vital in the research. Ethics committees expect you to share any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could affect your work.