The Ethics of Social Science Research

Why Should I Care?

As a student writing a research paper, you might be surprised by the topic or the results of a study. Scientists are often pushing the limits of what's acceptable because they are studying taboo subjects, or trying to measure events that may incur harm. This is where you need to appreciate the bounds of science, and the ethical reasoning behind these limits.

This lesson has 3 parts

• Definitions
• Ethical Considerations for Researchers
• University Rules of Ethics

What are the Ethics of Social Science Research?

The production of social science research may have ethical considerations, which are taken care of by universities and colleges. Most social science research is not deemed harmful or dangerous for participants and society at-large. On the contrary, most of this body of work is crucial for a healthy democracy and problem-solving institutions.

However, some research - especially when it involves live humans - may be conflictual with ethical standards. Universities and colleges thus have established Ethics review boards to provide guidance to researchers, and to limit the possibility of unethical behaviour.

Carleton University's Office of Research Ethics

• Definitions

Morals
What is right and wrong, as defined by social norms, traditions, religion, and other institutions. Values.

Ethics
What is right and wrong, as argued by a philosophy, a set of logical conclusions, stemming from premises and assumptions.

Deontology
A set of rules that govern conduct, such as law, regulations, and professional practices.

Harms-Benefits Analysis
A tally of advantages and disadvantages of a certain decision or action. If the benefits outweigh the harms, the action can take place.

• Ethical Considerations for Researchers

When you develop a research project, you should consider ethical issues that may arise from the very beginning. 

Scientific researchers have a responsibility to be truthful and transparent about:

a) the sources of their ideas: researchers must acknowledge the work of others
b) their actual findings
c) who the research participants were, and how they were treated

Ethical considerations when studying individuals

Some research does not need to have living human subjects or participants. If you are studying plants, or the geography of graffiti in the city, you probably are not going to harm any humans. However, when studies involve humans as participants, researchers have specific obligations towards them, to treat them with decency and dignity.

Participants have the following rights:

Protection from Harm
Participants cannot be inflicted physical or psychological harm. 

Informed Consent
Participants must be told about all features of a study that may affect their willingness to participate. In the case of children, parents must give their consent: children of any age also have the right to choose not to participate. 

Confidentiality
Participants have the right to have their identity concealed on all collected data except in regards to suspected abuse. 

Debriefing
Any deception related to the concealment of information to the participants for the purpose of the study must be disclosed following the end of the study. Deception is sometimes necessary to study phenomenon that would otherwise be impossible to detect (ex. Do employers discriminate against job seekers with foreign names?)

Knowledge of the Results
Participants should receive a copy of their signed consent form, and information about who to contact if they should have any questions. Participants should also be notified of scientific publications stemming from the research.

• University Rules of Ethics

Universities have review committees whose mandate is to ban research which is not deemed ethical. These committees can approve research projects, or disapprove them, in which case the project cannot be conducted on campus, or by anyone involved with the university. Proposed studies are reviewed only if they involve humans and most of them have to do with pharmaceutical drug testing.

Harms-Benefits is usually the guiding philosophy behind these codes of scientific conduct. If the benefits outweigh the harms, and harms are not critical, then studies usually get a green light. It should be noted that universities take reputational risks and potential legal actions seriously.

Social science that may do harm to public figures are excluded from the review process. For example, a political scientist is conducting scathing analysis of a politician's personal history and decision-making in parliament. If harm is deemed excessive, people can use the courts to litigate for libel or defamation.

The definition of participants and what constitutes unethical research may vary across universities. Generally speaking, any researcher dealing with humans must abide by these committees, but also researchers involved with human biological materials, embryos, fetuses, fetal tissue, reproductive material and stem cells, and researchers who are using non-anonymous data in a secondary use, for which participants do not know the data would be used when they agreed to share their information.

References and Further Readings

Dawson Research Ethics Board. http://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/research-ethics-board/

McGill Policy on the Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Human Participants. http://www.mcgill.ca/medresearch/files/medresearch/policy_on_the_ethical_conduct_of_research_involving_human_participants_2-2013.pdf

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