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Ethics in Research

Learning Objectives

In this chapter you will discover and understand:

  • the definition of ethics in relation to research
  • the complexity of ethics in research
  • ethics in human research.

1.1 What do we mean by Ethics?

You may initially think that ethics is just a tiresome nuisance that only interests old academics. Well, if you do, consider the following questions: how would you feel if you:
  • agree to do an evaluation survey for a hotel and then find your contact details have been sold to an online hotel marketing service?
  • complete an interview with a consultant evaluating your boss and your boss finds out what you said?
  • accepted an offer of free hair care products for six months in return for evaluating the products and later find out the company was testing a new chemical which has caused allergies in other products?
  • agree to participate in a short phone survey, and it takes over an hour?
  • post a misspelt review of a restaurant on Facebook, and you find your quote used as a satirical title of a conference paper on restaurant service quality?

Watch the following video for a basic introduction to the principles and guidelines for ethical research [3.36].

1.2 Definition and Context of Research Ethics

“Research ethics govern the standards of conduct for scientific researchers” (World Health Organisation [WHO], n.d.).
There are many codes of ethical research conduct, rules and legislation about research. Two conflicting philosophical positions are deontological and teleological. Researchers who believe there should be rules to guide researchers’ conduct, such as rights, duties, and equality, and that acting outside those rules is never justifiable, have a deontological view. Whereas researchers who have a teleological view believe being able to conduct research should be guided by the outcome of the research (desirable or undesirable), not by a set of rules (Wasieleski & Weber, 2019).

1.3 What is Human Research

At its simplest, “Human research is conducted with or about people, or their data, or tissue” (National Health and Medical Research Council [NHMRC] et al., 2023). 

1.4 Principles of Research Ethics with Humans

There are four main principles of research ethics with humans: (1) research merit and integrity; (2) justice; (3) beneficence; and (4) respect (NHMRC et al., 2023). A brief description of each principle follows:

  1. Research merit and integrity include, but is not limited to, contributions to knowledge and understanding, benefits to society, methods employed in research, literature search, respect of participants, researcher(s) qualifications, and dissemination of results.
  2. Justice in research includes, but is not limited to, inclusion/exclusion criteria for participants, recruitment of participants, treatment of participants, and participant access to benefits of the research.
  3. Beneficence includes, but is not limited to, the benefits from the research outweigh any potential harm or discomfort to participants; when benefits to participants are unlikely risks should be minimal; and if risks to participants can not be justified by potential benefits the research must cease immediately.
  4. Respect in research includes, but is not limited to, ensuring the first three principles of research with humans are ensured, all privacy, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivities of participants (and communities) are recognised and respected. It is recognised that participants can make their own decisions, and where unable to do so, respect is shown to them and they are empowered where possible and protected.

The National Statement contributes to awareness of possible ethical dilemmas where agreement on what is right or wrong is difficult or impossible. While the National Statement does not cover every possible discussion on human research, there are specialised codes of practice for specific research areas. These codes of practice can be used as supplements to the National Statement if they are in line with it (NHMRC et al., 2023).

Risk and Consent

Risk
There are two main levels of risk: (1) lower risk and (2) higher risk. These are briefly described as follows:
  1. Lower risk at a minimal level means the researcher(s) must ensure there is no risk of harm or discomfort to participants, and there is minimal risk for minor burdens or inconvenience. Lower risk at a low level means that there is no risk of harm or discomfort to participants in the study.
  2. Higher risk relates to individual participants, groups, communities, societal, or global. When the higher risk is greater than low there is the risk of harm and foreseeable burden. When the higher risk is high, there is a significant risk of harm or foreseeable burden (NHMRC et al., 2023).
Consent

Information on the general requirements for consent in research can be found starting on page 16 of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (NHMRC et al., 2023).

NOTE: For full details on ethical conduct in human research, see The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.

Useful Information and Links:

For all university-based research ethics information, you should contact your university’s ethics department.

Key Takeaways

  • Ethical conduct in human research is very important.
  • Ethical conduct in human research is very complex.
  • It is extremely important to ensure all research follows ethical conduct very closely.

References

National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, & Universities Australia. (2023). National statement on ethical conduct in human research. National Health and Medical Research Council. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2023

Wasieleski, D. M., & Weber, J. (2019). Business ethics. Emerald Publishing.

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Ensuring ethical standards and procedures for research with human beings. https://www.who.int/activities/ensuring-ethical-standards-and-procedures-for-research-with-human-beings

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Business Research Approaches Copyright © 2025 by Leonie Cassidy and Josephine Pryce is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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