This document outlines an ethics course on research and information science. It discusses key philosophical perspectives on science and information, research methodology and ethics, and information rights. The course covers topics like data collection, privacy, surveillance, and responsible research practices. Students will participate in weekly discussions, present their research, and write a paper on an information ethics topic. The goal is to develop critical thinking on the epistemological, methodological and ethical aspects of research.

1. Research and ethics in
Communication and
Information Science
PRESENTATION – CLASS 1
Prof. Dr. Moisés Rockembach

2. Summary
It explores matters about the scientific knowledge construction, methodological
approach and ethical dilemmas on the development of scientific research and
information ethic as object of study. Related topics include the information
access, the Surveillance Society, the form of collection and the use of personal
data in digital environment and the Information’s rights.

3. Objectives
Identifying ethical problems and dilemmas of the scientific research and
information, suggesting solutions and alternatives
Observing epistemological perspectives and possibilities of inter and trans
disciplinary relations, grounded on the Information Science, the Communication
and the Digital Technologies
Developing the critical sense about the research, on its epistemological aspects
as well as in the methodological and ethical, considering the interests and
investigation theme

4. Programmatic Content
I. Philosophy of the Science / Philosophy of Information
Authors: Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn, Feyerabend (F.C.); Floridi, Capurro (F.I.)
II. Research in Information and Communication: epistemology and methodology
Authors: Morin, Castells
III. Research in Information and Communication: from data collection to scientific
communication
Authors: Gil, Bruyne et al., Quivy, Campenhoudt

5. Programmatic Content
IV. Ethical Committees in Research: procedures and evaluations
V. Ethics in Information: an introduction
VI. Integrity in research: plagiarism, self plagiarism, manufacturing or
transformation of data, results fragmentation

6. Programmatic Content
VII. Info communicational ethical dilemmas I: privacy, secrecy,
Information’s rights, use of personal data, from Data science to Data
Journalism
VIII. Info communicational ethical dilemmas II: Surveillance Society,
freedom of access to the network, data leaking, ciberactivism
IX. International Lecture – Ethics in Information and Communication

7. Methodology
Weekly meetings, classes with expository and dialogic methodologies; use of
digital collaborative environment (blog); presentation and debate of the student’s
research theme in classroom, focusing on the epistemological, methodological
and ethical aspects;
Methodological support: reading and discussion of papers and books; movies,
documentaries and lectures about the approached themes

9. Evaluation
I. Participation on the Research and Ethics in Information collaborative blog (30%)
Procedures: research, synthesizing (powerpoint), presentation and discussion in classroom,
corrections if necessary, upload to the blog (slideshare/prezi). Group activity. To be handed
during the semester
II. Composition of a paper of aproximatedly 12-15 pages (70%)
Procedures: to choose a topic in information an communication ethics, related or not to the
research project, use of subject’s bibliography and auxiliary bibliography, to estabilish a problem,
paper objective(s), methodology, results and discussion. Individual work.

10. Research and Ethics in information science
Guiding Principles:
Ethics ≠ Morality
Ethics ≠ Deontology

11. From Philosophy to Philosophy of
information
Today’s ethics and its applications
- It is important to highlight the Ethics broad sense as a legitimate
segment of Philosophy and its possible applications to various
activity fields, including the info-communicational activity, as well
as the scientific and research activity.

12. Info communicational Phenomenon
Simplified Model of the Info Communicational Study Field. SILVA, 2006, p.105

13. Info communicational Phenomenon
Information / Communication – Different perspectives about the same
phenomena
The term communication is, undoubtedly, most appropriate to
characaterize the exchange process between individuals, that is, in a
broad sense, the inter individuals and collective relations, as well as the
methods used there. The term information is more related to the
messages content, to its nature, elaboration and diffusion and not to the
exchange process mentioned above.
(SILVA et al., 1998, p.24)

14. Epistemological quadriunvirate
F.C.
Popper
(Falseability)
Lakatos
(Research Program)
Kuhn
(Paradigm)
Feyerabend
(Epistemological
Anarchism)

15. ✉ moises.rockembach@ufrgs.br
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul