PowerPoint presentation for John Spencer's session on 'Research ethics and the RD1 ethics form' for the Manchester School of Art Researcher Development Programme - workshops and seminars covering research skills, communicating research, and progression through the degree.

1. Research ethics in art, design
and media
John Spencer
MIRIAD Research in Practice Programme 2011 -2016

2. …Ethical thinking

3. + from Sept 15
an insurance
form
MIRIAD
Ethical checklist

4. Ethical Issues in Art, Design and Media: Workshop
Format
1. Research ethics in art, design and media: An introduction to the issues
2. Activity: Ethics case study examples (see selection of case examples)
In small groups discuss individual case examples: identify ethical issues and
how they might be handled.
3. Using the 2016 MIRIAD Ethics checklist (paper or interactive version)
An opportunity for participants to test the prototype and raise any questions or
issues connected to their own research.
- https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/research/our-research/ethics-and-
governance/ethics/
- http://www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/administration/ethics/
4 (Intellectual property within research) copyright and/or consent

5. Questions
• Why do ethics matter?
• How could we embed a consideration for ethics in our
practice?
• The ‘problem’ with art, design and media
• Does ‘good art’ have to be ‘ethically good’?
(Or … does contemporary art need to be ethically justifiable?)
• In extremis, are good things beautiful and bad things
ugly?

6. Introduction
• Recent examples of ethical issues
• MMU New three part approval process from Dec.
2012
• MMU Difficult ethics cases – use of scrutiniser
• Health and safety (competence/reasonably practical)
• Consent

7. Example slides

8. Example slides

9. Example slides

10. Example slides

11. Example slides

12. Example slides

13. …but what do these examples illustrate?
• Research or teaching activity within an institution or
artistic endeavor outside these confines.
• Morality versus Ethics?
http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2010/10/morality-vs-ethics.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02bx2hh

14. Introducing ethical thinking
Obstacles to theoretical engagement include complexity of
the ethical academic discourse (e.g. original texts – Kant,
Bergson etc). Excessive complexity - Monteverde, (2014)
For there to be a chance of making people act more
ethically you have ‘to engage them in serious dialogue’
(Cederblom and Spohn, 1991)

15. Example slides

16. Example slides

17. • Why does art, design and media research needs ethics? What are the
possible positive and negative affects of ethical scrutiny?
• What are the key ethical issues or principles that apply in our subject
areas?
Development of our original questions

18. Ethics: definition
Schools of ethics in Western philosophy can be divided, very roughly,
into three sorts.
The first, drawing on the work of Aristotle, holds that the virtues (such
as justice, charity, and generosity) are dispositions to act in ways that
benefit both the person possessing them and that person's society.
The second, defended particularly by Kant, makes the concept of duty
central to morality: humans are bound, from a knowledge of their duty
as rational beings, to obey the categorical imperative to respect other
rational beings.
Thirdly, utilitarianism asserts that the guiding principle of conduct
should be the greatest happiness or benefit of the greatest number
Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ethics?view=uk (10/05/11)
Virtue
Duty
Utilitarianism
‘The Golden Rule’ – do until others…

19. Example slides

20. The new post graduate ethics process
• Introduced from December 2012 – RD1 submissions
• Agreed by MMU Academic Board on 3rd October 2012

22. • Faculty Head of Academic Ethics
• Scrutiniser

26. Using the electronic form
• Only use the form in Acrobat Reader
• Open, complete save it in Acrobat
• Use the interactive elements
• The form will open in Preview – but it will not
view correctly and will corrupt on saving
• You can use a printed version but you will not
have access the interactive elements (extended
text boxes etc.)

31. Example of completed form
(Note: earlier version of form - but principle the same)

38. Risk assessment
• ALL research projects MUST have a risk assessment
attached to the ethics form. (Oct 2012 Academic Board
Ethics committee)
• Whilst the principles of health and safety assessment
remain constant, it is worth noting that there is range of
specific assessment paperwork produced to meet needs
of differing creative disciplines. These should be used
where appropriate.
• There is currently a generic MMU form – in the medium
term a new assessment for post graduate research
projects is to be developed.

44. Intellectual property
• Ethical and legal issues

45. • https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375951/Education_and_Teaching.pdf

46. • https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-copyright-law

48. Guidance
• There are both legal and there are ethical
considerations.
• Acknowledging sources
• ‘Fair dealing’
• Consent, if appropriate
• Care connected to commercial situations, e.g. for
profit (e.g. book or performance).
• Published work?
• Copyright guidance on academic
submission/exhibition or competition

49. communicatewithjohn@yahoo.com