A research process is very much engaging, involves multiple engagements and movements made by researchers to collect data, and prove a hypothesis. The process should follow and adhere to acceptable, credible, and convectional guidelines. It is greatly necessary that research is done with utmost decorum, ensuring that the process is conducted ethically. Selecting research participants, the actual data collection, data analysis, and publication of findings are key steps in all research processes that must be handled ethically. Each of the above steps has defined ethical concerns that researchers ought to adhere to in order to achieve clean, ethical research. This paper focuses on the ethical issues attached to various steps in a research process.
Research participants refer to the people who aide the research process by acting as a source of information or as subjects of study. Selection of participants in scientific research is a process called Sampling. Method used should enhance randomization and minimize bias. It is important to seek the consent of potential research participants before including them in research (Roberts, 2015). The consent applies to participants of varied ages, including children. Another critical ethical concern in research is the need to show respect for the participants. It is also imperative that the individual conducting a research process ensures the safeguarding of the participants’ privacy by keeping private information acquired from them confidential. Ethics also demands that a researcher offers participants the right to change the mind and withdraw from participation. Apart from that, there is a need to inform them of all information about the research to let them make an individual assessment of risks.
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Researchers must also adhere to more ethical concerns as they engage in the data collection process. Data collection process follows sequential strategy that maximize the quality and reliability of the data. The skills of the researcher are a major concern that the people conducting the research must verify. Fouka and Mantzorou (2011) asserts that the competency of the research depends on the skills of the researcher. For example, collecting data on nursing matters should be done by professional nurses. Researchers should also avoid data fabrication. This is the attempt to cook up data. Data fabrication involves steps like self-completion of questionnaires.
Data analysis ensures the reliability of the research. Therefore, a researcher ought to observe the utmost ethical standards to confirm the reliability of his research. Falsification of data is a key ethical concern in the analysis. There are instances where researchers attempt to falsify information to match certain levels, and this is completely unethical. Researchers should stick to the analysis of the data collected. It is also important to apply carefulness in entering data during analysis. This is important in ensuring that every piece of information is analyzed in its right format and that no mistakes are made. Ethics also recommends that upon data analysis be conducted more than once to verify the credibility of findings.
The publication of research findings is yet another important step in research. A researcher must address a number of ethical concerns while he moves to publish the findings of his research. One major finding is plagiarism. This refers to the tendency to publish results and ideas from another person’s research and fail to recognize them. Ananth (2019) insists that every wording in published research ought to be original. Otherwise, the researcher should do the courtesy of citing any borrowed content and recognize the owners. Citing incorrect information also counts as plagiarism. For example, if you get your information cited in another source, it is ethical that you state your citation, as cited in the original source you are using.
In summary, the entire research process calls for strict adherence to the laid down ethics. The credibility of a research process, as well as its acceptance, depends on the adherence to various standards of ethics. It is also notable that ethical concerns apply throughout the research process starting from the point of selection of topic, identification of research participants, data collection, research analysis, and publication of research.
References
Ananth, C. (2019). Policy Document on Research Paper-Presentation, Its Ethics and Plagiarism at Higher Quality Accredited Institutions. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management, Architecture, Technology and Engineering (IJARMATE) Vol , 1 .
Fouka, G., & Mantzorou, M. (2011). What are the major ethical issues in conducting research? Is there a conflict between the research ethics and the nature of nursing?. Health Science Journal , 5 (1).
Roberts, L. D. (2015). Ethical issues in conducting qualitative research in online communities. Qualitative Research in Psychology , 12 (3), 314-325.
