Ethics needs to be considered at all points in the study. For example, the ethics of interview questions and the interpretation of the results. Research design Data collection Research relationships Interpretation of results Writing up Data dissemination

1. Ethics in research
Dr Ryan Thomas Williams

2. What are ethics?
‘Ethics is the application of moral principles to prevent harming or wronging others, to
promote the good, to be respectful and to be fair.’
(Opie 2004)

3. Ethics in research
• Ethics needs to be considered at all points in the study.
• For example, the ethics of interview questions and the interpretation of the
results.
• Research design
• Data collection
• Research relationships
• Interpretation of results
• Writing up
• Data dissemination

4. Ethical Considerations
Research Design
• What do you want to know and why do you want to know it? Is there justifiable
interest?
• If your research is in any way ‘experimental’ what are the implications for the
people involved?
• Have you thought about potential consequences either for the people directly
involved in the research or as a result of what you might find out?
(Bell [1999]; Opie [2004, 25 – 26])

5. What is unethical about the following research
design?
‘I joined the programme with every good intention, it was like turning over a new leaf,
and I was really excited about doing my research dissertation. Unfortunately I have a
really busy life as a part time student and I didn’t do so well with my early module
marks. This meant that the dissertation became crucial. I got talking to one of the
students from the previous year who had done really well, and she said, why don’t you
read my dissertation and do what I did. I got a really good mark and one of the tutors is
interested in this area of research. I ended up copying this student’s research design. I’m
sure she got it from somewhere else anyway so surely there’s nothing wrong with this?’

6. Ethical Considerations
Procedures for data collection:
• Are you asking people things you wouldn’t want to be asked?
• Are you asking people to do things you wouldn’t want to be asked to do?
• The above could be considered to be the ‘acid test’ with ethics and educational
research.
(Berg [2001]; Opie [2004, 27])

7. What is unethical about the following data collection
strategy?
‘I was advised not to do a quantitative research design, however, I stuck to my guns and
I sent out a survey via ‘survey monkey’ to 350 students at the University. I had a week to
hand in my dissertation and I had only received 50 completed surveys back. This meant
that I needed to somehow get another 200 surveys returned and I only had a week left
before I had to write everything up. I had completed a similar survey for my
undergraduate dissertation and I also had a number of pilot survey questionnaires
completed. I worked out that if I put all this data together I’d probably have about 200
surveys on this topic and nobody would ever know the difference. I reasoned that I had
to be flexible, as after all there are ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’.’

8. Ethical Considerations
Research Relationships
• You have a moral responsibility to the people you are working with.
• Are you manipulating people and relationships in order to get ‘good’ data?
• Are you sensitive to the implications of any differences in terms of social power
between researcher and researched?
(Cohen, Manion, and Morrison [2011]; Opie [2004, 29])

9. What is unethical about the following research
relationships?
‘I decided to go for a qualitative research approach and I was informed in one of the
lectures that I needed to complete a minimum of 10 research interviews. I did work with
five teachers and I was hoping that I could use these participants for my interviews.
However, when I heard that I needed to have 10 interviews I thought that I had to find
another five research participants. My mum was a teacher, so I could use her and my
Aunty Kathleeen also was a retired teacher. This brought me up to seven participants.
With my friends Lisa, Anne and Lucy, that made 10 participants so I was sorted. Surely,
nobody will ever be any the wiser about my research relationships?! ’

10. Ethical Considerations
Interpretation and Analysis
• Have you acknowledged any theoretical frameworks or value systems that may
influence your interpretation and analysis?
(Bryman [2001]; Opie [2004, 30-31])

11. What is unethical about the following research
analysis?
‘I didn’t tell my dissertation supervisor, however, I am a ‘born again’ Christian and I don’t
agree with the diversity agenda. In my interviews with the teachers, they all surprised
me by saying that they think that inclusion and diversity is a really positive development.
I was hoping that the teachers would agree with me that ‘diversity’ is not a good thing.
So, what I started to do in the questions, was change the tone of the questions. Instead
of asking ‘is diversity a good thing?’ I asked ‘what’s bad about diversity?’ and this gave
me plenty of data to use for the analysis that I wanted to have: in other words that
diversity is not a good development at all.’

12. Ethical Considerations
Writing up
• Have you made the research process appear to be neat and unproblematic?
• Have your research subjects been protected in written accounts?
(Green [2000]; Opie [2004, 30-31])

13. What is unethical about the following research
write-up?
‘I applied a qualitative research design to my dissertation and I began reading over my
research transcripts. I couldn’t make head or tale of anything in the research transcripts.
At one point one of the interviewees had a coughing fit and there were so many ‘errms’
and ‘ahhaas’ that I didn’t know what the participants were going on about. So I
completely re-wrote everything so that the quotes from the research participants made
more sense. I could almost hear myself saying some of the quotations that were
included in the dissertation. I thought to myself- I couldn’t have said it better myself!’

14. Ethical Considerations
Data dissemination
• Are my research participants sufficiently protected when it comes to data
dissemination?
• Avoiding harm/doing wrong
• The aim is not to harm anyone or do moral wrong. This isn’t simple because one
can never know what the unintended outcomes will be.
• Do the ends ultimately justify the means?
(Neuman [2000]; Opie [2004, 32])

15. What is unethical about the following data
dissemination?
‘One of my research respondents was a programme leader from Middlesbrough College.
This programme leader has a reputation for going on about things in such a way that
you can’t get a word in edge ways. All of the interview quotes from her were so long.
Everyone else had one of two lines and this programme leader’s quotes were half a
page. I showed some of my work to one of my friends and she immediately said- ‘I can
tell that these quotes are from Joanne in Middlesbough College’. We both killed
ourselves laughing!’

16. General ethical guidelines
• Remain true to your data in order to maintain professional integrity.
• Ensure the physical, social, psychological well-being of research participants is never adversely affected.
• Make your research participants know how far they will be given anonymity and confidentiality.
• Excessive covert research violates the principles of informed consent.
• Make no threats to confidentiality and anonymity of research data.
• Be especially careful if your research subjects are vulnerable because of age, disability, physical and/or mental
health.
• Extra care is required if your research involves children. The consent of parent and child must be sought.
• Research participants need to know that they have the right to refuse to participate.