Research ETHICS

1. An Introduction to Research
Ethics
TEJASVI BHATIA

2. But what has
ethics got to do
with research?
Is “pure” research
above ethics and
morality?
Is ethics and morality
to do with technology
and politics (the
appliance of research)
not research itself?

3. Science as a black box
RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIETY
One view of
research
might be that
it is isolated
from society
– although it
influences
society it is
isolated from
it with its own
•Sociology
•Norms
•Ethics
MANAGEMENT
POLITICS

4. Research is defined by its
special methods
• Experimentation,
observation, analysis,
• Objective
• Theorizing
• As if it transcends
ethical and political
considerations
Scientific research

5. Research
is a system of organized knowledge
above mundane considerations
• Archival aspect
• Information about natural
phenomena
• Acquired by research
• Organized in coherent
theoretical schemes
• Published in books and
journals
• Historical process

6. Objective facts
"Now, what I want is, Facts.
Teach these boys and girls
nothing but Facts. Facts alone
are wanted in life. Plant
nothing else, and root out
everything else. You can only
form the minds of reasoning
animals upon Facts: nothing
else will ever be of any service
to them. This is the principle on
which I bring up my own
children, and this is the
principle on which I bring up
these children. Stick to Facts,
sir!"
Thomas Gradgrind in Hard Times
by Charles Dickens 1854

7. But facts are not completely objective –
they are not isolated from the society
that gave rise to them
Facts can only be recorded in
the framework of a theory.
The history, the environment,
the culture, the politics, the
religion, the personality of
the scientist all influence
the theory and therefore
the facts recorded.
Research cannot be isolated
from society and an ethical
system
Which is brighter, a snowball seen indoors
or a lump of coal outside?
A bright, sunlit day is about one hundred
times brighter than a room lit by electric
light. If we use a light meter to measure the
absolute number of photons being reflected,
the outdoor coal registers a higher value
than the indoor snowball. The coal is
brighter, and more photons are hitting your
retina, sending a stronger signal to your
brain.

8. “Get your facts first, and
then you can distort
them as much as you
please.”
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
“If the facts don't fit the
theory, change the fact.”
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
“The important thing in
science is not so much to
obtain new facts as to
discover new ways of thinking
about them.”
Sir William Bragg (1862 - 1942)
“Science is facts; just as
houses are made of stones,
so is science made of facts;
but a pile of stones is not a
house and a collection of
facts is not necessarily
science.”
Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912)
“There are no facts, only
interpretations.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)
“We want the facts to fit the
preconceptions. When they
don't, it is easier to ignore the
facts than to change the
preconceptions.”
Jassamyn West (1907–1984)
It is a capital mistake to theorize
before one has data. Insensibly one
begins to twist facts to suit theories,
instead of theories to suit facts.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)

9. The separation of academic and
industry/technology/society
is illusory
• Research transforms
society
AND
• The inner workings of
science are changed by
the social forces acting
on it even down to the
philosophical and
psychological level
• Ethical decisions have to
be made at all levels in
the scientific chain of
discovery

10. The chain of discovery
Industry in SOCIETY - POLITICS
Solving problems
Technology as INSTRUMENT - ECONOMICS
Application
Knowledge in ARCHIVE - HISTORY
Publication
Discovery by METHOD - PHILOSOPHY
Research
Scientist with VOCATION - PSYCHOLOGY

11. The chain of discovery
Industry in SOCIETY - POLITICS
Solving problems
Technology as INSTRUMENT - ECONOMICS
Application
Knowledge in ARCHIVE - HISTORY
Publication
Discovery by METHOD - PHILOSOPHY
Research
Scientist with VOCATION - PSYCHOLOGY

12. The chain of discovery
Industry in SOCIETY - POLITICS
Solving problems
Technology as INSTRUMENT - ECONOMICS
Application
Knowledge in ARCHIVE - HISTORY
Publication
Discovery by METHOD - PHILOSOPHY
Research
Scientist with VOCATION - PSYCHOLOGY

13. RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
SOCIETY
Discovery
Invention
Because research
has a profound
influence on
society scientists
cannot ignore the
consequences of
their discoveries

14. Research is often a means of
solving problems
• It is intimately
connected with
politics, technology
and society
• Research should
be used wisely but
this is not for
researchers to
decide alone

15. The Impact of Research on Values
and Values on Research
• Ethical considerations
are to the fore with
the development of
new technologies and
new social systems
• Society is inherently
conservative and
seeks to set the limits
of research activity
I’m damned if they are going
to make me redundant

16. Introduction to
Research Ethics
Research Ethics
in Practice
Ethical Principles
The Research
Environment
This online course is designed to give you some information and
guidance about research ethics. You should also refer to the
documentation/guidance provided by your school/ and or institutuion
The course is in three sections each divided into a number of sub-
sections and there is a final section that provides an outline history of
research ethics.