Ethics in Research

Ethics in Research
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Institution
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Ethics in Research
Identify three ethical issues that might arise in the conduct of the research present in the cases. For each, explain why it is an ethical issue and how it may pose a challenge in conducting the research.
One ethical issue that might arise in the conduct of research is informed consent. Before conducting a study, a researcher is expected to seek informed consent from the potential respondents. However, while collecting data online or through the internet where data is seemingly and readily available, it is possible to ignore the aspect of informed consent. However, as Eysenbach and Till (2001) indicated, there is a need to discern the need for informed consent even when conducting research online to avoid certain ethical issues that could arise. First, people may not be freely willing to take part in a study, and therefore, using their information without their knowledge could introduce an ethical issue. Second, there is a likelihood that people may not fully comprehend their part or role in the study (van Hoof and Widdershoven, 2017). van Hoof and Widdershoven (2017) note that people can easily click yes like they normally do on other online approval buttons and terms of agreements. However, many may not know what they are saying yes to or what they agree to. Therefore, without proper procedures to seek informed consent, the chances are high that a study could end up violating the ethical issue of informed consent.
The other ethical issue entails privacy and confidentiality. This is a major issue that needs to be carefully considered while conducting research online or otherwise. There are participants who may not want their details shared in the study or who may wish to have their direct comments not included. The leaking of a participant’s personal information is a breach of the privacy and confidentiality ethical issue. In as much as a person could be willing to take part in an online study, the researcher must ensure they protect them and their contribution as much as possible. As Eysenbach and Till (2001) note, if a participant refuses to have their exact words be quoted, then the researcher must respect their wish. The challenge to research this may pose is negatively impacting the reliability ...