THE ETHICAL CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

1
THE ETHICAL CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

• Chapter 4

2
HISTORY OF ETHICAL PROTECTIONS

• The Nuremberg Code
• The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP),
  United States
• http//www.hhs.gov/ohrp/
• Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)
• Do we all Abide by IRBs?

3
Do We All Abide by IRBs?

• Variations in the social work profession
• Routine evaluation research and evaluation
  activities in social work agencies.

4
HEARTS IN THE RIGHT PLACE BUT HEAD ISNT

• The case of Margaret (p. 31-32)
• Ethical social work practice versus ethical
  social work research
• Whats the difference?

5
ETHICAL PRACTICE AND ETHICAL RESEARCH

• Ethical Practice
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW),
  Code of Ethics
• Ethical Research
• Policy and Legislation
• The Belmont Report

6
Ethical Practice

• NASW Code of Ethics Core Values
• Service
• Social Justice
• Dignity and Self Worth of the Person
• Importance of Human Relationships
• Integrity
• Competence

7
Ethical Research

• The Belmont Report
• Part A Boundaries Between Research Practice
• Part B Basic Ethical Principles
• Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice
• Part C Applications
• Informed consent, information, comprehension,
  voluntariness, assessment of risks and benefits,
  nature and scope of risks and benefits,
  systematic assessment of risks and benefits,
  selection of subjects.

8
EXAMPLES OF ETHICAL ISSUES

• Informed Consent, Privacy and Confidentiality
  Issues
• Informed Consent Issues
• Deception Issues

9
Informed Consent, Privacy, and Confidentiality
Issues

• Example The case of Isa (p. 41)
• Do no harm

10
Informed Consent Issues

• Example U.S. Public Health Service syphilis
  study carried out in Tuskegee, Alabama.

11
Deception Issues

• Example The Milgram Study (1974).

12
ETHICAL DECISIONS ACROSS THE RESEARCH PROCESS

• The Research Question
• The Research Design
• Equipoise, or the Uncertainty Principle
• Deception
• Debriefing
• Sample Selection and Recruitment
• Data Collection
• How data are collected, who is going to collect
  the data, frequency and timing of data collection

13
The Research Question

• Is the research effort likely to benefit
  individuals (or groups) in need?
• Is the research effort likely to add to the
  professional social work knowledge base?
• Is the research effort likely to benefit social
  work students who are training to become
  researchers?

14
The Research Design

• Randomly assigning research participants to
  experimental and control groups
• Equipoise, or the Uncertainty Principle research
  studies that randomize their research
  participants to different treatment groups should
  be conducted only if there is a true uncertainty
  about which of the treatment alternatives is most
  likely to benefit them
• Deception Is its use necessary? If so, include
  debriefing procedures at the end of the study.

15
Sample Selection and Recruitment

• Is your sample representative of the target
  population?
• Is your sample diverse enough to be
  representative?
• Be certain that all procedures for recruiting
  participants are ethically sound.

16
Data Collection

• Ethical issues are relevant for
• How data are collected
• Who is going to collect the data
• The frequency and timing of data collection

17
THE INFORMED CONSENT PROCESS

• Determining Competency to Provide Consent
• Providing Adequate Information
• Anonymity and Confidentiality

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Determining Competency to Provide Consent

• Capacity or competency to give consent
• Special populations (e.g., children, prisoners,
  adults with mental or cognitive delays)

19
Providing Adequate Information

• Researchers hold an ethical responsibility to
  provide information in such a way that potential
  research participants fully understand the study
  and their involvement in it.
• Voluntary consent.

20
Anonymity and Confidentiality

• Anonymous data there is no way for the
  researchers to connect any piece of information
  in a study to any given study participant.
• Confidential data the researchers can associate
  responses with names of respondents, typically
  through an identification number.

21
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

• International Research
• Computer- and Internet-based Research Guidance
• Students as Subjects/Students as Researchers

22
International Research

• The researcher must demonstrate that research
  methods are culturally sensitive and locally
  approved.
• The researcher may need to demonstrate a
  sophisticated understanding of the country,
  culture, and customs before IRB approval is
  granted.

23
Computer- and Internet-based Research Guidance

• Internet-based research must provide the same
  levels of protection to human subjects as
  traditional modes of research
• Authenticate research respondents

24
Students as Subjects/Students as Researchers

• Students who participate in agency or university
  research are a vulnerable group
• Students who conduct research should have a
  faculty member carefully review their research
  proposals prior to its submission to the IRB

25
SUMMARY

• Ethical social work practice includes ethical
  research conduct. Mindful concern for the safety
  and informed protection of our potential research
  participants is not enough. In ethical research
  this concern must be partnered with knowledge of
  best research practices and skill in
  methodological implementation.