Friday, December 20, 2013

Ethical consideration in research refer to the moral principles employed in order to protect research subjects or community members from hazards, harm, and other forms of disadvantages derivable from taking part in the study or refusal to take participation in the study. In social sciences unlike natural sciences ethical issues are concerned with research that involves human subjects as the basic elements of the study. In natural sciences ethical issues extends to cover both plants and animals (Paulson, 2006). Human subjects carry on research which involves clinical investigation about human beings from which the researcher aims to obtain draw private information or data through intervention and interactions.

Some of the most common ethical considerations in research include
The principle of voluntary participation  this principle states that the researcher must avoid all forms of coercion or the use of undue influence in the selection and recruitment of research participants. Participation in research for any group or individuals should not be made mandatory indeed it should be made voluntary (Paulson, 2006). That is, it should be based on the free will to participant in the research activity.

Protection of vulnerable populations- various populations within the community need to be protected in research. Some of these vulnerable populations include children who are not able to make valid decisions about their lives.

Disclosure of potential risks and informed consent-  This principle states that the researcher must honestly disclose the foreseen potential risks of taking participation in the study to the potential participants (Paulson, 2006). Some of the foreseen risks might include aspects such as distress, financial costs involving travel and health, or exposure to unknown adversaries.

The principle of anonymity and confidentiality  this principle of anonymity helps in protecting the identity of the research participants such that their identity is not disclosed to the public conceivably because it can result to incalculable harm, damage, or embarrassment.

Thus, in order to ensure the the researcher conducts ethical research, it is important to that he she reads widely in literature in order to be able to understand the underlying background information about the are of the study (Paulson, 2006). Reading widely in literature will help the researcher identify all the possible risks which might be encountered within the course of conducting the study and plan well on how g to go about them. It is also important to be careful while setting the sample to be involved in the study by choosing methods which will adequately serve the nature of the study being carried out.

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