Development of an ethical roadmap

Abstract

Ethics are a system of moral principles and branch of knowledge enquiry defining what is good for individuals and society. Academic disciplines operate within publicly defined ethical parameters created to support researchers through complex dilemmas. However, paradigms in interdisciplinary research, a growing focus on emancipatory and participatory methods and questions relating to an ethic of technology call for a rethinking of existing frameworks which are largely predicated on bioethics. This paper describes an enquiry that used a design-lens through which to explore existing ethical frameworks operating in health. Drawing was used as a method to build understanding and to make visible facets of the frameworks. These drawings provided a focus for a series of workshops to build understanding of the challenges faced by a range of different stakeholders engaging in research.An Ethical Roadmap resource was created in response to the issues and questions raised during the enquiry. We suggest that the Roadmap creates the space for discourse, discussion and a level of rehearsal as potential ethical dilemmas are encountered and responses are worked through. The process potentially enables a reflective and reflexive process that may build self-awareness of how researcher values may manifest themselves in particular contexts and from the different disciplinary backgrounds of members within a team. We describe the Ethical Roadmap as 'becoming' rather than 'finite' and as a solid starting point from which researchers can develop the resource offering further, through use, introducing the open source version of the Roadmap.