Ethics in research and communication
Introduction
The centrality of ethics in research cannot be gainsaid. Ethics creates a distinction between right and wrong and separates an acceptable behaviour from unacceptable behaviour. The norms of conduct that define ethics are learnt in school, churches and other social settings (Link, 2013). Ethics is important in research since it governs the conduct of people in disciplines such as law, medicine, business and engineering. Because research encompasses cooperation and coordination among people in various disciplines, ethics fosters values that are needed in collaborative work. While it is imperative to underscore the role of ethics in the practice of research, it is important to highlight various ethical considerations regarding the conduct of research.
Ethical considerations in research
While carrying out research, it is imperative that people observe high ethical standards. Ethical norms enhance accountability and build public support towards research. Most people invest in research activities if they trust both the quality and integrity of research (Harriss, & Atkinson, 2013). In this regard, various ethical considerations should be observed while carrying research. These include honesty, objectivity, integrity, confidentiality, non-discrimination and social responsibility.
Research integrity
This involves observing the ethical principles required in the practice of research. Integrity encompasses having a strong commitment to personal responsibility regarding research (Link, 2013). In this regard, a researcher’s actions and practices should reflect high standards of ethics and underscore intellectual honesty. The practices should include fairness carrying out and reporting research, collegiality in communicating research as well as revealing any conflicts of interest that may arise.
Objectivity
This consideration involves carrying out balanced design, analysis, interpretation and review of data. While making decisions on research, a researcher should strive to prevent bias and enhance and objective research (Miller et al., 2012). It is important to avoid the influence of personal feelings on the outcome of the research. Any personal interests that have the potential of influencing the research should be mitigated. Lack of objectivity can lead to wrong interpretation and analysis of the research.
Honesty
Honesty is important while making scientific communications. This consideration is needed when reporting data, methods and results of a scientific process. It is ethical for researchers to present accurate and correct results of scientific research rather than present falsified information or misrepresented data (Miller et al., 2012). Honesty involves giving correct information to colleagues as well as the general public about the outcome of the research. Studies by Harriss, & Atkinson (2013) pointed alluded to the fact that some researchers, in a bid to advance their own interests, fail to fail to observe honesty as an ethical consideration. Such scientists resort to fabrication data to achieve incorrect outcomes. The result of this process is lack of public confidence in the research outcome. In this regard, observing honesty as an important element in research gives impetus to the scientific process.
Confidentiality
This is an important consideration in any scientific research. Confidentiality involves keeping information that is regarded as private out of reach by unauthorized persons. Researchers may seek information from their correspondents in the course of research. Unless such information is public, it is incumbent upon researchers to treat such information with utmost discretion. Failure to observe confidentiality is tantamount to breach of privacy that may affect the outcome of the research. Lack of privacy may discourage respondents from giving information voluntarily due to fear of reprisals from authorities. In this regard, researchers ought to protect their respondents by keeping information as private as possible.
Mechanisms of monitoring research to ensure ethical practice
Moore (2012) observed that during the research process, it is important to observe ethical practices by monitoring the research. Various mechanisms can be used to achieve this and they include:
Reporting
Reporting involves the use of progress, annual and safety reports. Institutions can exercise their monitoring obligations by reviewing these reports to determine the accuracy and authenticity of research. The reports may highlight incidences of breach of ethical principles during the process of research. Cases such as plagiarism, misuse of information, abuse of data integrity and interference may occur.
Monitoring plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs where researcher present words or ideas of others as their original work. In the field of research, such incidence is a breach of intellectual property rights of the original owner of the work. Anderson et al. (2012) opined that plagiarism is common in institutions of research. He added that monitoring this problem requires internal and external quality controls. For example, the use of external examiners during assess the quality of research by students in a university has been embraced an effort towards ensuring quality and standards. Some universities rely on external examiners reports as benchmark upon which they determine the quality of their assessment of students. In some cases, research institutions use anti-plagiarism websites such as turnitin.com to ensure that researchers present original work rather than copy and paste the work of others.
Integrity of data
Researchers have a responsibility to ensure that the data they use is correct. Any false statement that can alter the accuracy of data has the potential of changing the intended outcome of the research (Moore, 2012). Data integrity can be monitored by keeping accurate records. Meticulous keeping of research information helps to ensure easy retrieval and use of information. In this regard, researchers have an obligation to maintain and produce records. Accurate keeping of records may also help other researchers that may wish to carry out related research. Keeping all data used in the research enhances integrity of data.
Auditing
Auditing helps in taking stock of what has been done research process. It involves discovering if the objectives of the research were met; the type of instruments used in the research, whether quality was observed in during the research and whether the researcher observed ethical principles (Moore, 2012). A realistic audit program can help in monitoring researchers as well as the institutions for research. The types of audits used should include spot audit and random audit. In some cases, a combination of the two types of audit is useful in achieving the desired outcome. The auditing process of research should be as discretionary as possible.
Conclusion
In light of the foregoing, it is imperative that ethics plays a central role in the research process. Researchers have a moral obligation to observe ethical principles while carrying out research. This paper sought to explore ethical considerations regarding the conduct of research as well as mechanisms that can enhance ethical practice. The study reveals that objectivity, integrity and honesty and confidentiality are elements that researchers should consider during the research process. The use of reports and audits can help in monitoring research to ensure observance of ethical principles. The study revealed that keeping accurate records enhances integrity of data used in the research while the use of anti-plagiarism software reduces plagiarism in research institutions.
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