Research Ethics

What are some factors of positives of ethics approval for quantitative work?

• Considered by some to be easier to obtain

• Stated hypothesis and specific plan for testing

some REB favour quantitative work because it is considered to be more scientific

What are some critiques or negatives with ethics approval in qualitative work?

• Flexibility for emerging themes mean indeterminate methods

• May capture data on people that would not want their activities observed

*a cautious REB can:

• prevent research funding

• restrict research project

• prevent research project

What are the three core overlapping General Ethical Principles?

1. Respect for persons

2. Concern for Welfare

3. Justice

Information Sheet Outlines (Respect for Persons)

• The research project

• The methods

• The potential risks/benefits of participating

• The names of those in charge

• The affiliated institution and contact information

• Assurances of confidentiality

• How the data will be stored

• How the findings will be published

What is a practical challenge of “Respect for Persons”?

It’s difficult to give prospective participants absolutely all the information to make fully informed consent

Why is informed consent impractical in ethnography?

• Prevents contamination of subjects

• Unforeseen changes in project due to emerging theme

• Unknown people may enter the research setting

Why are experiments problematic for fully informed consent?

• Reactive effects

  • participants know they are being observed for specific purposes

• Some deception

  • can be seen as problematic

  • must be clearly justified

  • debriefing is important

Concern for Welfare

• Welfare is concerned with the well-being of person, group, community affected by the research

  • avoid harm, embarrassment, inadvertent identification

• Identity and privacy issues

  • ensure the right to privacy

• Confidentiality

  • must be maintained when there is contact between research and subject, even if online