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Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Chapter ThreeEthics: What Are My Responsibilities as a Researcher?
Key Concepts•Communication research could harm
participants.•Classic ethical positions provide bases for
decisions about treating participants.•Codes of practice provide practical
guidelines about treating participants.•Formal review is often required where
research on humans is proposed.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
For Discussion Would you . . .
▫Show participants offensive materials?▫Deliberately deceive participants?▫Accept funding from a source that wants
your research to help sell its products?▫Start false rumors?▫Record people’s behavior without them
being aware of it?
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Some Classic Ethical Positions•Judeo-Christian -
“Do unto others.”•Kant – categorical imperative –
A behavior is valid if you are willing to accept it as a universal rule.
•Bentham, Mill – utilitarianism –Greatest good for the greatest number.
•Rawls – “Veil of Ignorance” – Dispassionate; review all sides of decision
equally.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
The Purpose of Ethics Codes
The primary purpose of ethics codes in human communication research is to protect research participants.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Key Points of Ethics Codes•Do no harm.•Informed consent.•Voluntary participation.•Participants can leave at any time.•Debriefing after the study.•Anonymity or confidentiality.•Crediting other researchers.•Full reporting.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Nuremberg & Helsinki Codes
Nuremberg Code (1948) – ▫Participants must consent to research.▫Research benefits must outweigh risks.
Declaration of Helsinki (1964) – ▫Review by independent committee.▫Informed consent.▫Research by qualified individuals.▫Research benefits should exceed risks.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
The Belmont Report (1979) •Respect for Persons
▫Information.▫Comprehension.▫Voluntariness.
•Beneficence▫Maximize benefits / minimize harm.
•Justice▫Fair procedures and outcomes in
selecting research subjects.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Peer Review•Basic Assumption:
Those best equipped to evaluate your work and its impact on human participants are appropriately qualified people doing similar work to your own.
•Formal Review: Institutional Review Boards, editorial process.
•Informal Review: Networking, conferences.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Institutional Review BoardIRB
A formal review mechanism established to review research proposals for their impact on human participants.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Relationships of Participants to Researchers.
•Subject•Respondent•Informant•Participant•Collaborator •Partner
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Ethics of the Literature Review
•How far back in time to review.•Use of secondary sources (summary
articles) versus primary (original) sources.
•Reporting research that does not support your viewpoint.
•Reporting research that is proprietary (“owned”).
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Ethical Issues in Reporting Research
•Honesty.•Plagiarism.•Confidentiality or anonymity.•Crediting others.•Appropriate language.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
The Internet and Research Ethics
Advantages•Rapid access to large numbers of research
participants. •Low cost.Disadvantages•Conceptual problems defining the Internet.•Practical problems of sampling, obtaining
consents & establishing authenticity of participants
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
The Internet Research Ethics Dilemma
•Human participants are being studied. •Consent of participants is therefore
required.versus
•The web is published content. •Internet research is content analysis.•Consent of participants is therefore not
required.Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Guidelines for Internet Research
•The more vulnerable the participants, the greater the researcher’s obligation to protect them.
•The more public the venue, the less obligation there may be to protect individual privacy, confidentiality, & right to informed consent.
Adopted from the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) - http://aoir.org/documents/ethics-guide.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Chapter Summary
Research Ethics . . .•Focus on how research participants
should be treated.•Basic concern is protecting participants
from harm.•Review mechanisms include IRBs and
informal peer review.•Formal ethics codes include
“Nuremberg”, “Helsinki”, the Belmont Report and the “Common Rule”.
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Vocabulary Review
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Vocabulary Review
Introducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications
Web Resources
•The National Institutes of Health Bioethics Resources -
http://bioethics.od.nih.gov/IRB.html•American Psychological Association -
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
•American Association for Public Opinion Research -
http://www.aapor.org/aaporcodeofethicsIntroducing Communication Research 2e © 2014 SAGE Publications