Ethics are actually the principles and values of the society or it can be defined as the thinking of human to under what is right from what is wrong. Without ethics, goals and objectives are not being accomplished. The key element considered for ethics is to understand the morals to which goals and actions are evaluated. Specifically ethics can’t be described in words because they are values which vary from person to person.
Research ethics is the definite study of ethical issues that are came up when different people involved in the research. Ethics in research can also be stated as the methods, procedures and perspectives in order to know about the actual issues, resolve complex issues and how to act to them. The research might be taken in every perspective of life globally like physiological, economical and sociological etc.
Importance of Ethics in Research
Importance of research in ethics can be explained as;
• Promote the aim of research that includes the reality, information and avoidance of error as the research is done by the coordination of different people from different discipline. [linkunit]
• Values that are essentials to mutual work that involves the fairness among people, faith and the mutual respect.
• Public support is also the important principle because by building trust among people, they start funding in the research projects.
• Principle of research involves variation of important social and moral values which involves human right, health and safety and societal responsibility.
Policies for Research Ethics
Many organizations, universities, government agencies and professional associations etc adopted certain policies and codes for the research ethics. Such policy involves some ethical values like sincerity, secrecy, social accountability, validity, competence, non discrimination and reliability etc.
Principles of Research Ethics
There are five principles that are kept in view while doing a research ethics according to Smith (2003), which are explained as;
• To talk about all the academic property frankly because without that highly planned study came up with disputes.
[large]• By following informed consent rules to ensure the people for the voluntary participation with the supporting knowledge about the research.
• To respect all the privacy and confidentiality perspectives so that to have better results. It is made by prescribing the limits in terms of both of them.
• Such relationships should be avoided in the study that effects the proifessional performance in work.
Ethical Issues
There may also different issues in research ethics;
• Voluntary association is the issue that occurs the people is not forced in doing research.
• Informed consent is compulsory for the voluntary association for this its issue is created.
• Risk of harm is faced when openly participation is made by the people that detract the research perspective.
• Confidentiality problem arises when such people know the related information about the research which is not involved in the research.
• Anonymity is the big issue because data remains in secret from the participant of the research throughout the analysis. It is actually difficult to accomplish when the participants are involved in more than one study.
References
• www.socialresearchmethods.net, accessed on March 25, 2012.
• Smith, D. (2003) five principles for research ethics, Vol 34 No. 1 (pg 56).
• Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs Web site: www.aahrpp.org.
• www.nehs.nih.gov.com, accessed on March 25, 2012.