For better understanding why daily activities related to research

1. promote the aimsof research,suchas expandingknowledge.
Theysupportthe valuesrequiredforcollaborative work,suchasmutual respectandfairness.Thisis
essential because scientificresearchdependsoncollaborationbetweenresearchersandgroups.
Theymeanthat researcherscanbe heldaccountable fortheiractions.Manyresearchersare supported
by publicmoney,andregulationsonconflictsof interest,misconduct,andresearchinvolvinghumansor
animalsare necessarytoensure thatmoneyisspentappropriately.
Theyensure thatthe publiccan trust research.Forpeople tosupportandfundresearch,theyhave to be
confidentinit.
Theysupportimportantsocial andmoral values,suchas the principle of doingnoharmto others.
Source:Resnick,D. B. (2015) What isEthics inResearchand Whyis itImportant?
Codesof Ethics
Governmentagencieswhofundorcommissionresearchoftenpublishcodesof conductforresearchers,
or codesof ethics.
For example,the USNational Institutesof Health(NIH) andFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA) both
publishethical codes.Someethical codesmayhave the force of law behindthem, whileothersmay
simplybe advisable.
Be aware that evenif youdonothingillegal,doingsomethingunethical mayendyourresearchcareer.
Many or evenmostethical codescoverthe followingareas:
HonestyandIntegrity

2. Thismeansthat youneedto reportyourresearchhonestly,andthatthisappliestoyourmethods(what
youdid),yourdata, yourresults,andwhetheryouhave previouslypublishedanyof it.You shouldnot
make up anydata, includingextrapolatingunreasonablyfromsome of yourresults,ordoanythingwhich
couldbe construedas tryingto misleadanyone.Itisbettertoundersell thanover-exaggerate your
findings.
Whenworkingwithothers,youshouldalwayskeeptoanyagreements,andactsincerely.
Objectivity
You shouldaimto avoidbiasinany aspectof your research,includingdesign,dataanalysis,
interpretation,andpeerreview.Forexample,youshouldneverrecommendasa peerreviewer
someone youknow,orwhoyouhave workedwith,andyoushouldtry to ensure thatnogroups are
inadvertentlyexcludedfromyourresearch.Thisalsomeansthatyouneedtodisclose anypersonal or
financial intereststhatmayaffectyourresearch.
Carefulness
Take care in carryingout yourresearchto avoidcarelessmistakes.Youshouldalsoreview yourwork
carefullyandcriticallytoensure thatyourresultsare credible.Itisalsoimportanttokeepfull recordsof
your research.If youare askedtoact as a peerreviewer,youshouldtake the time todothe job
effectivelyandfully.
Openness
You shouldalwaysbe preparedtoshare yourdata and results,alongwithanynew toolsthatyouhave
developed,whenyoupublishyourfindings,asthishelpstofurtherknowledgeandadvance science.You
shouldalsobe opento criticismandnew ideas.
RespectforIntellectualProperty

3. You shouldneverplagiarise,orcopy,otherpeople’sworkandtryto passit off as your own.You should
alwaysaskfor permissionbefore usingotherpeople’stoolsormethods,unpublisheddataor results.
Notdoingso isplagiarism.Obviously,youneedtorespectcopyrightsandpatents,togetherwithother
formsof intellectual property,andalwaysacknowledge contributionstoyourresearch.If indoubt,
acknowledge,toavoidanyriskof plagiarism.
Confidentiality
You shouldrespectanythingthathasbeenprovidedinconfidence.Youshouldalsofollow guidelineson
protectionof sensitive informationsuchaspatientrecords.
Responsible Publication
You shouldpublishtoadvance tostate of researchand knowledge,andnotjustto advance yourcareer.
Thismeans,inessence,thatyoushouldnotpublishanythingthatisnot new,orthat duplicates
someone else’swork.
Legality
You shouldalwaysbe aware of lawsand regulationsthatgovernyourwork,andbe sure that you
conformto them.
Animal Care
If you are usinganimalsinyourresearch,youshouldalwaysbe sure thatyourexperimentsare both
necessaryandwell-designed.Youshouldalsoshow respectforthe animalsyouare using,andmake sure
that theyare properlycaredfor.
Human SubjectsProtection

4. If your researchinvolvespeople,youshouldmake sure thatyoureduce anypossible harmtothe
minimum,andmaximise the benefitsbothtoparticipantsandotherpeople.
Thismeans,forexample,thatyoushouldnotexpose peopletomore teststhanare strictlynecessaryto
fulfil yourresearchaims.Youshouldalwaysrespecthumanrights,includingthe righttoprivacyand
autonomy.Youmay needtotake particularcare withvulnerable groups,whichinclude,butare not
limitedto,children,olderpeople,andthose withlearningdifficulties.
Source:Resnick,D.B. (2015) What isEthics inResearchand Whyis itImportant?List adaptedfrom
ShamooA and ResnikD.2015. ResponsibleConductof Research,3rded.(New York:OxfordUniversity
Press).
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The Role of the EthicsCommittee
Most universitieshave anethicscommittee.Thisisrequiredtoscrutiniseall researchproposals,to
ensure thattheydo notraise any ethical issues.Thiswill generallyinclude researchformaster’sand

5. undergraduate degrees,althoughundergraduate researchmaybe coveredbya broaderresearch
proposal fromyoursupervisor.
There islikelytobe a standardform to complete forethical approval,whichwill coverwhowill be
involved,howyouwill recruityourparticipants,andwhatstepsyouwill take toensure thattheyhave
providedinformedconsent.
There isan example formonourpage Writinga ResearchProposal,whichalsocontainsmore detail
abouthow to go aboutpreparinga proposal.
The ethicscommittee’srole istoconsiderthatwhatyouare doingisappropriate andproportionate to
your researchaims.
If a researchproposal raisesethical issues,the committeewillaskthe researcherto lookagainat the
issue,andconsiderwhethertheycoulddoitdifferently.
For example,if youare proposingtocarryout a study ona particulardisease,andyouwanttoask all
your participantswhethertheyare marriedandhave anychildren,the committeemaywantto know
whythisis relevant.Itmaybe relevant(forexample,if youthinkthe disease maybe reducedbylivingin
a family),inwhichcase,youwill needtojustifythis.
The committee mayalsosuggestalternativemethodsthattheythinkare more suitableforthe target
group,or additional precautionsthatyoushouldtake.
You cannot start yourresearchuntil youhave beengrantedethical approval,whichwillbe granted
formally,togetherwithanapproval number.
Whenyoupublishyourresearch,