Research Ethics Quiz

Research Ethics

• Ethics are critical for research involving people.
• Not all projects require formal review but all should consider ethical dimensions.
• The Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2) governs research standards and procedures in Canada.
• Research involving humans must be reviewed and approved by a research ethics review board (REB).
• Research ethics aims to ensure ethical conduct by researchers.

Research Ethics Decision Process

• Direct interaction with people (conversation, surveys, etc.)?
  • Yes: Consider if the project involves sensitive topics or personal data.
  • No: Likely do not need formal review.
• Are you gathering data from human participants & sharing publicly?
  • Yes: Consider sensitive topics, data protection & privacy.
  • No: Likely do not need formal review.
• Indigenous participants, children or vulnerable groups, people in health/school settings?
  • Yes: May need to consider alternative access to avoid complications.
• Sensitive topics (health, sexuality, etc.)?
  • Yes: A plan to protect wellbeing and data privacy is needed.
• Personal data (name, address, etc.) needed?
  • Yes: Data security and privacy are critical.
• Sharing raw data?
  • Shared with team only: No need for formal review.
  • Shared with the public: Need for formal review.

Research Problem & Research Questions

• Assignment brief to draft a research problem, quantitative and qualitative questions.
• Research problem: Briefly outline the 'who, what, where, when, and why'. (maximum 3 pages)
• Research questions: Clear statement of a qualitative and quantitative criminological research question.

Ethical and Political Considerations

• Research ethics guides the accepted standards within scientific communities.
• TCPS2 provides standards and procedures for Canadian research.
• Shared values & ethical norms guide ethics review processes in various disciplines.
• All human participant research must be approved by an ethics board (REB).

Code of Ethics

• TCPS2 includes fundamental ethical principles such as:
  • Respect for human dignity
  • Respect for free & informed consent
  • Respect for vulnerable persons
  • Respect for privacy & confidentiality
  • Respect for justice & procedural fairness
  • Balancing potential harms & benefits of research
  • Minimizing harm to participants
  • Maximizing the benefits of the research

Eugenics

• A discredited science to improve society by controlling reproduction to increase desirable traits and reduce unwanted ones.
• Canadian & U.S. eugenics programs based on blaming social issues on 'backward' populations.

Tearoom Trade

• Men met in public bathrooms.
• Deception used in the study.
• Ethical concerns involved potential harm to participants (blackmail, jail).

Minimal Risk

• All research involves risk; relative risks vs. benefits need to be considered.
• Potential harm includes physical harm, psychological abuse, and legal ramifications.

Informed Consent & Voluntary Participation

• Participants must be informed of the research purpose, process, associated risks and benefits, and data use.
• Consent is required from participants before involvement in research.
• Consent is not needed for observation in public spaces.
• Participants can withdraw consent at any time.

Deception & Consent

• Deception used in research studies (misrepresentation).
• Reasons for needing deception, e.g., acquiring data or gaining access.
• Subjects must be informed and informed consent acquired after the study.

Vulnerable Individuals

• Vulnerable individuals (e.g. limited cognitive capacity, power imbalances, history of oppression) must be considered in research.
• "Parachute" researchers: lack of local involvement.
• Research fatigue perceptions (research is not addressing local concerns).

Confidentiality & Anonymity

• Researchers must respect participants' privacy by guaranteeing confidentiality or anonymity.
• Confidentiality means the researcher knows the participants but the data is kept secret.
• Anonymity means researcher doesn't have knowledge of participants.

Ethics through Research Process

• Developing research questions (open-minded approach).
• Data Collection (inform participants).
• Consent from participants.
• Data analysis.
• Research writing.
• Project dissemination.

Conflict of Interest

• Trust relationship between researchers, participants, sponsors, institutions, professional associations, and society.
• Researchers disclose potential conflicts of interest to the REB.

Scientific Misconduct

• Includes fabricating, falsifying, or plagiarizing research data.
• Violating accepted scientific practices for proposing, conducting, and reporting research.

Types of Research Design

• Longitudinal research: Collect data multiple times over time (time series, cohort, panel studies).
• Cross-sectional research: Collect data at a single point in time.

Testing Your Knowledge

• Example questions and scenarios about research design and ethical considerations.

Summary

• Cross-sectional vs. Longitudinal research designs in collecting data.
• Key ethical considerations in research (risk of harm, informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymity, scientific misconduct, conflict of interest).