How can we say that we have done the right thing? Can we strike a balance between what is right and what is moral? Are the things we have done widely accepted by the community? These questions must be considered in doing research so that its results may bring positive impact and improvement on the quality of life.
This topic presents the principles and guidelines for conducting research in order to produce widely acceptable results. These principles must be applied to maintain harmony and the right conduct in doing research investigations.
To know clearly the definition of ethics, the concept of morality must be understood. This is because ethics is anchored on moral standards that must be followed. Morality is a set of unwritten rules that guides individuals on the things that they should or should not do in order to attain harmony and orderliness in any undertaking. With this, ethics can be defined as the process of applying moral standards and principles in any undertaking.
In the context of research, ethics may be defined as a methodology or perspective in making sound and right decisions pertaining to actions to be taken, and the analysis of intricate problems and issues. For instance, in a complicated project like building an electric power plant in the ancestral domains of an indigenous tribe, a research considering the ecological, political, economic, and ethical issues must be undertaken. This is to ensure that the indigenous people will not be harmed, let alone be exploited. Through this, the culture and tradition of the said tribe, as well as their rights, will be protected and preserved.
Importance of Ethics in Research
Ethics keeps the researcher from committing misconduct while seeking knowledge and truth, and respecting and protecting the…
Most Important Research Ethics Principles
What ethical principles should be considered in conducting research? Aside from the desirable traits that a researcher must possess, there are…
Ethical Issues in Research
What are the current issues involving ethics in research? In conducting qualitative research, some ethical issues must be considered. These are…
- Ethics is defined as the process of applying moral standards and principles in any undertaking.
- Some ethical principles in research include honesty, objectivity, integrity, carefulness, openness, respect for intellectual property, trustworthiness, and social and legal responsibility.
- Animal rights and welfare, human rights, and scientific misconduct are some ethical issues in research.
- The 3Rs in animal research are reduce, refine, and replace.
- Human beings participating in a research endeavor have the right to voluntary participation, the right to informed consent, the right to be protected from harm, the right to confidentiality, and the right to anonymity.
- Scientific misconduct involves deviation from universally accepted conduct in research undertakings.
- The areas of scientific dishonesty are fabrication and falsification of data, non-publication of data, faulty data gathering procedures, and plagiarism.
- The types of plagiarism according to the decreasing severity of content are clone, copy-paste, find-replace, remix, recycle, hybrid, mashup, 404 error, aggregator, and re-tweet.
