Researching researchers: lessons for research ethics

Abstract

There is widespread debate about ethical practice in social research with most social researchers arguing that situational relativist approaches are appropriate for resolving the ethical issues that emerge. In this article, we draw on research conducted on an ESRC-funded study of informed consent in social research to explore the ethical issues that are raised when conducting research with one’s peers. The study involved conducting focus groups and telephone interviews with academic and non-academic researchers. The ethical issues emerging from the study related to consent, data ownership and the management of confidentiality and anonymity. Participants’ responses to these issues and the ways that we managed them are discussed. We conclude by exploring the implications of this study for research more generally and argue that the increased regulation of research needs to enable researchers to attend reflexively to the social context in which consent takes place.

Ethical Issues in the Use of In-Depth Interviews: Literature Review and Discussion

“…They recommend that researchers draw up a plan of action in the event of such disclosures in advance and inform participants of the boundaries of confidentiality; that is, what will not be held as confidential [43,47]. Their suggestions should be set against the study by Wiles et al, showing researchers to be reluctant to breach confidentiality for reasons of disclosed illegality [87,88].…”

“…The second were study-connected papers: here the authors described and discussed ethical issues arising from a particular studies that had used in-depth interviews . The third were empirical studies that focussed on ethical issues related to in-depth interviews [82][83][84][85][86][87][88].…”

“…Others consider the related issue of researchers' legal or professional duties when protecting confidentiality where a crime is reported or witnessed [45,71,87].…”

“…A final study undertaken by Wiles et al [87,88] comprised interviews, e-mail discussion and focus groups with social researchers. The research investigated their practices in relation to informed consent and confidentiality.…”

Ethics and Its Discontents: Evidence from Terrorism Research in North-Eastern Nigeria

“…Transcripts of interviews can be sent to respondents for approval and whatever they request as 'off-the-record' be so treated. Related to anonymity is the issue of confidentiality, which relates more to privacy and especially how data is used (Wiles, Charles, Crow, & Heath, 2006).…”