‘Understanding research ethics’ – Webinar summary
Research ethics is a vital part of any research project, ensuring your research is ethical, safe and those who participate in your study are informed and protected.
jobs.ac.uk have joined up with Dr Petra Boynton, a Social Psychologist, and James Parry, Chief Innovation Officer at UKRIO, to bring you a webinar on ‘Understanding research ethics’.
You can now view the full webinar recording or read on for a summary of the main points exploring the topics.
What is research ethics
Moral principles that govern how researchers undertake research – especially relating to research that impacts on or involves humans, animals or the environment.
It is important to note that all research disciplines/ types can raise ethical issues, no matter your own experience or the format of the research. Ethical issues must always be considered, even if research doesn’t need ‘formal’ review.
Ethics in research
Research ethics is how we apply moral principles to the process of carrying out research. Research ethics is not the process of getting ethics approval but about considering the ethical implications of your research. It is not just about a particular stage in your research, it’s something that needs to be considered throughout. We always need to be ethical in what we do.
Find more resources on research ethics from UKRIO here
Other frameworks in research
Research integrity: all of the factors that underpin good research practice and promote trust and confidence in the research process. It also covers making sure that environments and systems for research safeguard and enhance good research practice, rather than hinder it – often described as ‘research culture‘.
Research governance: regulation and management of research – overseen by the research’s ‘sponsor’ organisation.
Research ethics, research integrity and governance are relevant and apply throughout the entire lifecycle of your research, from initial idea to dissemination.
The history of research ethics
It is key to be aware of the history of research ethics and that guidance around research ethics has been informed by breaches of ethics and mistreatment.
Key guidance/declarations on research ethics to note
- Nuremburg Code
- Declaration of Helsinki
- Belmont Report
Your research organisation will have research ethics guidance and the bodies that fund your research will have research ethic requirements in the terms and conditions of the funding contracts. As a researcher, it’s important that you familiarise yourself with the various requirements and codes of practise that impact on your research.
UKRIO Code of Practice for Research
Key questions to ask yourself
- What is your research about?
- Why are you doing it?
- Who else is involved in the research?
Even if you have no participants and the research is between you and your colleagues there could still be ethical implications.
- What will happen with your research once it is finished?
How might your research be used but also how might it be misused. Further, the implications on participants after the research is published and your duty of care.
The process of ethical review
Ethics review is mandatory. Official guidance stress that good practise includes compliance with all legal and ethical requirements, that includes submitting research proposals and ethical review where appropriate. As well as, to abide by the outcome of that review throughout the entire lifecycle of your research.
It is worth noting that, if you are researching in an area that has their own research committee, for example the NHS and the NHS Research Commitee, your organisation will likely not do their own review and just take note of the positive opinion of the external review. Do check with your organisation if this is the case.
UKRIO Advice for independent researchers and small charities without access to sponsorship and research ethics review services.
What do Research Ethic Committees do?
What they don’t do is approve your research, that is the role of the sponsor organisation. It is also the role of the sponsor to ensure a favourable ethics opinion has been given before the research project goes ahead.
Ethic Committees give opinions on the proposed research
- Favourable – this research is good to go ahead
- Favourable with conditions – the research is good to proceed but you need to do the following
- Provisional – your proposal is okay but there needs to be changes, make them and come back to us
- Unfavourable – the research is unethical and therefore does not get a favourable opinion
Ethics is an ongoing process and researchers should always feel able to go back to the Ethics Committee for advice and support.
Key standards of ethical review
There are some key standards that research ethics committees must meet –
- Independence
- Free from conflicts of interest
- Membership
- Competence
- Expertise in ethics
- Training
- Facilitation / Enabling
- Efficient systems and processes
- Transparency and Accountability
- Consistency
Key points of review
- Design and conduct of the project
Now while design and methodology are not particularly part of an ethics review, poor design and flawed methodology invariably result in unethical research. So, while they won’t do a detailed methodology assessment, they will look at design and conduct of the project.
- Recruitment of research participants
- Care and protection of research participants
- Protection of research participants’ confidentiality
- Informed consent process
How research ethics is taught
Petra’s personal experience of being taught research ethics is poor. She was not given formal training. The way research is taught is the reason for misconduct and poor ethical practices, we don’t know what we don’t know!
The urgency surrounding research is counterproductive, as good ethical practice need to be carefully considered and planned.
Another point is how research is taught in a fractured manner, that aspects are separate from each other when in fact it is all interconnected. We need to think how we as researchers, remain responsible for ethics throughout the whole of our project.
Petra links back to James’ presentation and the history of ethics. Ethics is about everything you as a researcher do, but it’s also about everything other researchers do and have done, the wider consequences of that work, good or bad, will inform the way that other people react to ethics and how we then act within those ethical spaces.
Petra works backwards in her ethical and research approach. She decides where she wants to end up and works back from there.
Unethical Practices
An unsafe work environment will result in unethical practices, where there is poor supervision, a lack of equipment, coercion, overwork etc. This goes back to how ethics is taught, and if there is no space for questions or learning, unethical practices will occur. As well as, when people are excluded or not able to join in to the degree they should, make the workplace inaccessible.
This all comes under ethical practice, as what is done to us, we may do to the participants; misrepresent them or coerce people into research, or we ignore their expertise or priorities. If we’re not making our work accessible or inclusive and we’re not thinking about our histories.
Research Safety
Some research requires additional caution and care. Whether that is because of the needs of the researcher, participants, wider community, the audience, topic, or a combination of them all.
Take careful planning when budgeting, time frames, training, risk assessments and ensuring that you’ve got the right equipment.
It is important not to make assumptions, that particular communities, people or places are dangerous, and others are safe.
You need to consider the overall environment you conduct your research, as their will be risks to do directly with your research but there will also be risks that have nothing to do with it and are just the environment you are in. If you are in an unsafe environment where you are too scared to flag issues, then unethical practice will occur as said above. You as the researcher don’t want to become the risk in the environment.
Q&A
Why do researchers fear research ethics committees?
Partly they are feared due to human nature, your work is going to be scrutinised and you don’t know the outcome. Also, the misconceptions of what an ethics committee is and their role, they give opinions not approvals. A lack of understanding on the role of the Ethics Committee drives fear, they are often seen as a gatekeeper to you being able to carry out your research which is not the case. Ethics committees are there to facilitate and enhance research.
How do I seek consent for a patient that doesn’t have capacity?
Capacity issues can manifest themselves in many ways, someone who is not legally or mentally competent to give consent or covert research.
Seek advice from your institution and look for disciplinary specific advice, e.g. the Social Research Association has a lot of advice on COVID research.
When someone does not have legal capacity, ask if there is someone who speaks on their behalf and advocates for them, having the legal ability to give consent to participate e.g. parents of children.
It is key not to exclude people from conversations and gaining consent from the participants just because they cannot give legal consent. They still need to be involved and they still have the right to refuse. Consent should be informed, enthusiastic and freely given.
Further, to take into account once again the history of research and how many research projects took place in orphanages, prisons and mental hospitals where overall consent was given by the institution on behalf of the participants, but the participants actually had no choice resulting in horrific experiments. Be aware of that history so you don’t perpetuate it.
Lastly, do not be patronising, or to assume that because someone has for example a disability or difference that they can’t consent in research or can’t be researchers themselves.
What ethics panels are likely to ask?
- Overall aims and goals
- How the research might be used or misused
- Are the participants going to be treated with respect
- Does the research show empathy
You may or may not have to attend a research committee meeting, sometimes they are in person and sometime online.
The committee need to understand what you are doing, that you know what you are doing. It is a dialogue. Remember, if you’re not sure about something, you can ask the Ethics Committee as well as asking your supervisors, colleagues, professional societies etc.
What are the challenges of insider research?
Insider research is when you are researching a community, space or organisation you are part of.
You must consider your bias. It does not mean you shouldn’t do this type of research, but you must be aware of it and acknowledge you cannot be completely objective.
Additionally, just because you are part of the community you are researching does not mean you can skip ethical steps or rules just because you know the space. Sometimes being part of community can lead you to assume that people will be okay with things that they are not. Also, the fact that you are part of that community can expose you to new risks of harm or heighten existing risks of harm.
If you are researching a controversial topic, you might find out things you do not like about your community or that your community does not like, and you need to be prepared for that possibility.
Should I use AI to fill in an ethics application form?
James and Petra are in the same opinion of no.
Firstly, any use of AI you need to check whether it’s permitted in your research, and you should declare it if so.
Secondly, consider the data ownership, anything you put into these AI platforms now own that content and you have breached confidentiality.
Thirdly, the Ethics Committee wants to hear from you not an AI. If you do need help to write the ethics application, go to your supervisor, not AI.
Think about the reason why you want to use AI, how else can you get the support AI would give you.
Social media and ethics
Petra uses the example of her own research with older people, how when interviewing them in hospital and homes she would get a glimpse into their lives. Then going on to consider the ethics of taking pictures or documenting outside her research project the aspects of their lives.
If it is not directly related to your research and impacts that research, then no it is not ethical. It is a breach in confidentiality.
Also, you need to have consent from the participants to share these details in your research if it is relevant.
Universities will have social media policies, but they may not be comprehensive to every situation, so you need to think ethically yourself.
Key takeaways
James
“This can seem like a scary process, but it’s there to help and facilitate. So please do engage with your ethics committees and always make sure you understand the kind of the landscape of the system of opinions and ethical considerations you need to apply to your research. Whether you need formal ethical review or not, because all research needs to be ethical.”
Petra
“It starts and ends with you and there’s lots of other people out there who can help you and should help you. We’ve got real responsibility here, and research hasn’t always been helpful or benign, but it also can be amazing and wonderful, and I think there’s a real issue that we focus so much on the negatives and the sort of warning you not to be terrible people that we forget, actually, that none of us really want to be awful researchers. We want to do a good job, and there are barriers that get in the way. So.
As much as we can, it’s working together as a community and helping one another so that we actually can enjoy this process, that we can stay safe and we can do good research that makes a difference.”
Meet the Host – Dr Petra Boynton
Dr Petra Boynton is a Social Psychologist who supports universities, charities, research organisations and government departments to undertake and use research in inclusive, accessible, ethical and safe ways. With a key focus on mental health and wellbeing. Petra’s self-help books for scholars include, The Research Companion: a practical guide for the social sciences, health and development (2nd Ed, 2016) and Being Well In Academia: ways to feel stronger, safer and more connected (2020) – a practical and supportive mental health guide for students and staff; both Routlege.
Speaker – James Parry
James is the Chief Innovation Officer at UKRIO. He joined UKRIO in 2006, and became the Chief Executive in 2008, overseeing UKRIO’s transition to a registered charity supported by over 110 research organisations. In 2023, James moved to the role of Chief Innovation Officer where he continues to spearhead new initiatives and innovate the charity’s growing services. He regularly speaks on how to sustain and enhance good research practice and research culture & systems.
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