Community Health Ethics: Ethics in Research
Ethics and Its principles in Research
Ethics refers to the philosophical study of moral values as well as rules. Ethics include the “norms of conduct” distinguishing unacceptable and acceptable behavior. Usually, people start learning ethics from their home, school, and other social settings, and ethics are applied in every part of life. Ethical norms are also applied in establishing the goals or aims of a research, people involved in scientific research, and other related scholarly activities. Among the most important ethical principles in research are honesty, objectivity, carefulness, integrity, confidentiality, openness, non-discrimination, social responsibility, animal care, and human subjects’ protection (Resnik, news. NIH. Gov).
Guiding principles in conducting Ethical Research
Health is one of the most important aspects in every research, i.e. researchers has to consider the maintenance of health and/or its improvement, whether the research is medical or nonmedical. In order to promote good health, preserve the integrity of science, and protect participating volunteers, National Institute of Health (NIH) has presented seven main principles for conducting ethical research. These principles include (NIH, NIH. Gov):
Clinical and social value, i.e. the research have to contribute to the improvement of society,
Scientific validity, i.e. the validity and feasibility of the research methods,
A fair selection of research subjects as, for example, women and/or children have not to be excluded from the research without any valid scientific reason,
Optimal risk-benefit ratio, i.e. research must reduce the inconvenience and risks to the participants of the study,
Independent review of research that is helpful in reducing potential conflicts of interest,
Informed consent and voluntary decision of participants of the study, and
Respect for the participants of the study.
Importance of Ethics in Research
Ethics in research can help in the promotion of the aims of research, including truth, knowledge, and avoidance of error as, for example, avoiding any kind of falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of research data can result in the promotion of trustworthy research and correct knowledge. Ethical values in research can also promote coordination and cooperation between researchers, who may come from different institutions and disciplines. This level of coordination can be achieved only by ethical standards as, for example, trust, fairness, and mutual respect. With these standards, a researcher would not worry about the premature disclosure of ideas or illegal use of research by other researchers (Resnik, news. NIH. Gov).
One of the most important aspects of ethics in research is that it results in increased accountability of researchers in front of the public as, for example, researchers would deal with the research with great care, especially in dealing with living subjects, if they work for the government funded research (Resnik, news. NIH. Gov).
Ethics in research are also helpful for researchers in developing a supportive environment as people would also start supporting the researcher, who is following ethical norms, as they know that the researcher would not do anything that would be against them. On a further note, if people trust the integrity and quality of the research, they would most likely fund the project. Finally, ethics in research can also promote many other social and moral values. Research ethics can improve social responsibility, animal welfare, human rights, and public safety and health. If a researcher does not consider community health ethics, he or she would potentially harm human and animal subjects as well as the public. For example, a researcher, who is not abiding by the guidelines and regulations of biological safety and radiations, would jeopardize the safety and health of other people (Resnik, news. NIH. Gov).
Works Cited
Resnik, David. B. “What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important?”. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Institute of Health, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 16 May. 2016 <http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/>.
NIH. “Guiding Principles for Ethical Research”. National Institutes of Health. 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 16 May. 2016 <https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you/guiding-principles-ethical-research>.
