SCMA Chapter 2: Ethics in Research

A professor wants to study the study habits of students in her own class. She tells them participation is voluntary, but she will know who chooses not to participate. Which core ethical principle is most at risk?

C) Respect for Persons (specifically, voluntariness)

According to the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2), who is the central focus of ethical protection in research?

C) The Participant

A researcher is conducting a study on workplace discrimination at a small company. They remove all names from the final report but identify participants by their exact job title and department. What is the primary ethical concern here?

B) The participants could still be identified through deductive disclosure.

Once a participant signs a consent form, they are legally required to complete the study.

False

A researcher can always guarantee complete anonymity for participants, even in face-to-face interviews.

False

Match the term with its description: Anonymity

The most stringent protection; not even the researcher can link data to identities.

Match the term with its description: Confidentiality

A promise that the researcher will not publicly link participants with their data.

Match the term with its description: Informed Consent

An explicit agreement to participate, given freely and with full information.

Match the term with its description: REB

The body responsible for reviewing the ethical acceptability of research on behalf of an institution.

Research Ethics

The principles and standards that guide research to protect participants from harm and ensure integrity.

Human Participant

A living individual about whom a researcher obtains data through intervention, interaction, or identifiable private information.

Non-Human Participants

Objects or entities that investigators manipulate or analyze in the course of research (e.g., animals).

Nuremberg Code (1949)

A 10-point set of research principles created after WWII to guide ethical research on human participants.

Belmont Report (1979)

A document outlining basic ethical principles for research on human participants; basis for informed consent.

Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2)

Canada's shared standard for ethical conduct in research involving humans.

SSHRC

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; funds social science research.

NSERC

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; funds natural science research.

CIHR

Canadian Institutes of Health Research; funds health research.

Respect for Persons

The core principle that individuals have autonomy and the right to make informed decisions; requires voluntary informed consent.

Concern for Welfare (Beneficence)

The core principle of considering participants' physical, mental, social, and economic well-being; balancing harms and benefits.

Justice

The core principle of treating people fairly and equitably; no group unfairly burdened or excluded from benefits.

Respect for Human Dignity

The foremost ethical principle; protecting people's bodily, psychological, and cultural integrity.

Voluntary Informed Consent

Agreement to participate given freely, without threat or undue inducement, with full knowledge of what is involved.

Voluntary

Agreement given without pressure, coercion, or incentive so large it overrides judgment.

Informed

Knowing what a reasonable person would want to know before giving consent.

Consent

An explicit agreement to participate; silence or presence is not consent.

Anonymity

The most stringent protection; not even the researcher can link participants' data to their identities.

Confidentiality

A promise that some identifying information is known and kept, but only the researcher can link participants with their data and promises not to do so publicly.

Privacy

The right of participants to control access to their personal information.

Vulnerable Populations

Groups needing special protection, such as children, institutionalized people, or those with diminished capacity.

Informed Consent Form

A document stating the research purpose, methods, risks, benefits, confidentiality, data storage, and right to withdraw.

Letter of Information

A document explaining the study to participants; includes what the research is about, methods, risks, benefits, contact info, and confidentiality assurances.

Gatekeeper

A person or organization that provides access to research participants.

Research Ethics Board (REB)

The body that reviews the ethical acceptability of research on behalf of an institution; can approve, reject, modify, or terminate research.

Delegated Review

A faster ethics review for minimal-risk research, conducted by one or two board members.

Full Board Review

A complete ethics review required for research involving greater than minimal risk.

Minimal Risk

Research where the probability and magnitude of harm are no greater than everyday life.

Exempt Research

Research categories that do not require REB review (e.g., secondary use of anonymous data, public observation without interaction, public domain material); exempt ≠ ethical.

Covert Research

Research where participants do not know they are being observed; raises ethical concerns about consent.

Overt Research

Research where participants know they are being observed and give approval.

Secondary Participants

People who enter a research setting whose social role is not the central focus of the research (e.g., clients in a study of sex workers).

Duty to Report

The researcher's obligation to warn participants in advance that certain disclosures (e.g., child abuse, some crimes) must be reported to authorities.

Conflict of Interest

A situation where funding relationships or prior work could bias a board member; must be declared and managed.

Incentive

Something offered to encourage participation (e.g., gift card); must not be so large it improperly influences someone's decision.

Coercion

Pressuring someone to participate against their will; violates voluntary consent.

Debriefing

Explaining the true purpose of the study to participants after it ends, especially if deception was used.

Deception

Misleading participants about the nature of the research; raises ethical concerns and requires strong justification.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The American term for a Research Ethics Board.

NCEHR

National Council on Ethics in Human Research; advances protection and well-being of human research participants in Canada.

Respect for Free and Informed Consent

The ethical principle that individuals have the right to make their own free and informed decisions about participation.

Respect for Vulnerable People

The ethical principle that researchers must maintain high ethical obligations toward vulnerable people and develop special procedures to protect them.

Respect for Privacy and Confidentiality

The ethical principle that standards of privacy and confidentiality are fundamental to human dignity.

Balance Harms and Benefits

The ethical principle that the harms of research should not outweigh the anticipated benefits.

Minimizing Harm

The ethical principle that researchers have a duty to avoid, prevent, or minimize harm to others.

Maximizing Benefit

The ethical principle that researchers have a duty to maximize net benefits for participants, individuals, and society.

Stanford Prison Experiment (1970s)

A study where students assigned roles as guards and prisoners; halted early as roles took hold; a standing example of harm arising from design itself.

Milgram Obedience Experiment (1960s)

An experiment where participants were tricked into believing they were administering electric shocks; caused extreme emotional distress.

Humphreys Tearoom Trade (1970)

A covert observation study of anonymous sexual encounters; recorded license plate numbers and traced identities without consent; ethical lesson: data that can be traced back is identifiable data.

Russel Ogden v. SFU (1990s)

A Canadian case testing whether a researcher can protect participant confidentiality against a court.

Scott DeMuth (2009)

A graduate student's research data sought in a criminal investigation; raised questions about confidentiality vs. law.