In qualitative research building a rapport and friendships with participants is often presented as a means to gain access and data from research participants. However, as Helen Kara discusses, using friendship in an instrumental way presents serious et…
Category: Research Ethics
Doing research as if participants mattered
Almost all qualitative and quantitative research into human society involves the participation of other humans. However, they are frequently rendered passively in research outputs as ‘research subjects’. In this post, Helen Kara, argues that the way we…
Book Review: Underdogs: Social Deviance and Queer Theory by Heather Love
In Underdogs: Social Deviance and Queer Theory, Heather Love explores how queer theory was shaped by the Cold War-era world of deviance research. Presenting a careful, close reading of deviance studies, this book invites queer theorists to reconsider t…
Can standardised courses in research ethics prevent publication misconduct?
The Indian University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced a number of policies aimed at addressing issues around the robustness and quality of Indian research. One focus of these policies has been the introduction of mandatory publishing ethics trai…
A self-correcting fallacy – Why don’t researchers correct their own errors in the scientific record?
Correcting mistakes in light of new data and updating findings to reflect this is often considered to be a key characteristic of scientific research. Commenting on the ‘Loss-of-Confidence Project’, a study into self-correction amongst psychologists, Ju…
What ethical responsibilities do social media researchers have to report harmful or illegal content?
For researchers working on social media communities, especially in sensitive subject areas, there is a strong likelihood they will have encountered harmful or illegal content. In this post, Dr Liam McLoughlin discusses the ethical responsibilities rese…
Without stronger ethical standards, predatory publishing will continue to be a permanent feature of scholarly communication
Predatory publishing has been the subject of much heated debate and conjecture. Panagiotis Tsigaris and Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, argue that predatory publishing still remains under-scrutinized, enigmatic and in need of effective collective solutions. Without clearer and stronger ethical standards in scholarly publishing, they argue that responses to predatory publishing will continue to be … Continued
Against Research Waste – How the Evidence-Based Research paradigm promotes more ethical and innovative research
With notable negative impacts in clinical research, large numbers of studies simply replicate findings that have previously been confirmed. Caroline Blaine, Klara Brunnhuber and Hans Lund, suggest that much of this waste could be averted with a more structured and careful approach to systematic reviews and propose Evidence-Based Research as a framework for achieving this. … Continued
How do we know that our research is ‘inclusive’?
COVID-19 has led to new ways of working which have transformed research practices. This has created opportunities for research cultures to be more inclusive and accessible- especially to those for whom the university is a barrier. However, post-pandemic, research cultures also need to change. In this post, Stuart Read, Anne Parfitt and Tanvir Bush outline … Continued
The UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers will transform working conditions, rights and responsibilities of researchers globally
Scientific research has suffered from a lack of global standards. This is set to change due to the 2017 UNESCO Recommendation for Science and Science policy which codifies the coals and value systems by which science operates. Eric Jensen outlines the rights and responsibilities of scientific researchers enshrined in the recommendation and highlights how … Continued