Ethics
Applied Science: BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma, topic 3.1.3
Ethics
Ethics is a very important and controversial topic in science - participants must consent to all that they could be subjected to and sometimes animal subject must be used instead.
Ethics in science
- Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety.
- But this has not always been the case.
- Modern researchers must show that the research they perform is ethically sound.
- Any experiment involving the participation of human subjects is governed by extensive, strict guidelines designed to make sure that the experiment does not result in harm.
Consent
- Each participant must sign an informed consent form before they can participate in the experiment.
- An informed consent form provides a written description of what participants can expect during the experiment, including potential risks and implications of the research.
- It also lets participants know that their involvement is completely voluntary and can be discontinued without penalty at any time.
Consent cont.
- Furthermore, the informed consent guarantees that any data collected in the experiment will remain completely confidential.
- If a research participant is under the age of 18, their parents or legal guardians are required to sign the informed consent form.
Deception
- While the informed consent form should be as honest as possible, sometimes deception is necessary to prevent participants’ knowledge of the exact research question from affecting the results of the study.
- Deception involves purposely misleading experiment participants to maintain the integrity of the experiment, but not to the point where the deception could be considered harmful.
- In cases where deception is involved, participants must receive a full debriefing upon conclusion of the study.
Animal studies
- Many scientists conduct research involving animal subjects.
- Often, these researchers use rodents as the subjects of their experiments.
- This does not mean that animal researchers are immune to ethical concerns. The humane and ethical treatment of animal research subjects is a critical aspect of this type of research.
- Researchers must design their experiments to minimise any pain or distress experienced by animals serving as research subjects.
Code of Ethics
Researchers must follow a code of ethics, making sure that participants are treated with respect and not harmed.
Preventing harm
- Researchers must follow a code of ethics.
- The purpose of these is to make sure that participants are treated with respect and not harmed.
- Harm could include psychological harm as well as physical harm.
- The research should not put participants under unreasonable stress, or traumatise or humiliate them.
Informed consent
- Participants also need to give informed consent.
- They must agree to take part in the study in full knowledge of what they are agreeing to.
Participant data
- Participant data also needs to be handled carefully. Their results should be kept securely, and any publication must preserve their anonymity (for example, not publishing participant names).
Applying Ethical Standards in Research
When designing the methodology of their study, researchers must follow ethical procedures such as briefing and debriefing.
Ethical design
- Studies must be designed in such a way that they will not risk physical or psychological harm to participants beyond the risks that people experience in everyday life.
- The mild stress that comes with doing tasks such as memory tests are acceptable because they are similar to the stresses of school or university.
- Researchers usually ask permission to run a study by proposing it to their organisation’s ethics board.
Informed consent
- All participants must give their informed consent to take part in a study:
- This means that they don’t just give general agreement to participate, but must fully understand what they are agreeing to.
- Usually, this involves them being given an information sheet which briefs them on the aim of the study, how long it will take and what they will have to do.
- It is unethical to deceive participants. But it may be considered impossible to research an issue without some mild deception.
Consent form
- After reading an information sheet, participants are then asked to sign a consent form.
- For some experiments, this may be done on a computer screen.
Withdrawal
- Participants are allowed to stop and withdraw during the study any time they wish and for any reason, and must be aware of this fact.
Debriefing
- At the end of the study, participants are debriefed.
- At this point, they may be given more information about the study, including the hypothesis, and asked if they have any questions.
Late withdrawal
- A participant may decide at a later point that they wish to withdraw their consent.
- They must be told that they have a right to withdraw at any point, and should be given contact details so that they can withdraw retrospectively.
- If they do so, their data must be deleted.
Test yourself on Ethics
What makes ethical research so important?
What does a consent form have to include?
What Must Researchers Do Before Conducting Experiments?
What two kinds of harm should researchers prevent?
What should a researcher do with participant data?