Ethics in research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in research - Essay Example Two: Do voluntary participation, informed consent, risk of harm, confidentiality, and anonymity (Trochim) pretty much cover the bases for ethical research on human subjects? Whether quantitative or qualitative research approaches are employed to study human phenomena, the knowledge quest rests on the thing of the quest--the object of study. Whether researchers, ethics committees, the public, or others like it or not, human subjects become objects in the service of discovering, confirming, or advancing knowledge. Objectification comes with all that is the research enterprise. If, however, in a clinical or confidential study, a subject, or we can now say object, is not treated per proper procedure and respect, there may be cause for complaint. Any ethics violation may then have to be determined by those closest to what was actually proposed and done. Davidsons question seems more philosophical than practical. It may not be nice or politically correct to objectify people in some ideal world or in some contexts, but in the end for research we do it, just as we do it elsewhere in our lives (e.g., picture the finals in a body building competition). Voluntary participation, informed consent, risk of harm, confidentiality, and anonymity are not the only matters for care in planning and conducting research involving human subjects. No doubt any ethics committee or listing of standards, rules, or procedures would specify these and others, and in some detail. However, there is at least one additional base to cover regardless of the group to be satisfied or the expectations to be met. The expectation or standard should be articulated that ethics should be addressed whenever researching human subjects. This may seem redundant, but if not stated in whatever fashion the governing or advisory body wishes to, not having some self-referential language about the