Why Are Ethics Important In Research?

Ethics is essential to research

In man’s pursuit of progress and development, there are many things he needs to know. Research produces knowledge and certainty that goes beyond established facts. However, research is a complicated process involving human subjects or people. This involvement creates complicated and extraordinary issues that are ethical, legal, political and social.

The need for research ethics:

Research ethics applies the fundamental of ethical principles to a variety of topics involving scientific research. In implementing investigations, ethics must be an important consideration involving lives affecting humans & animals and most developed as a principle in medical research. Past involvements include various aspects as : (1) academic scandal ‘“ falsification of ideas and plagiarism; (2) whistleblowing – one method discover misconduct in research; (3) improper use of research regulation; (4) competition ‘“ may be good or bad in its use; and (5) lots more.

Three objectives in research ethics:

The number one and all-embracing objective is to the protection of the subjects. The second important goal is to that the manner of conducting the research serves interests of the whole society, to include every individual and group. Finally, the purpose of the study is to evaluate if activities and projects in the research pass ethical soundness. It considers the analysis of issues in the management of risk, safeguarding of confidentiality and the procedure of informed consent.

The beginning of ethics:

From childhood, people begin learning norms of ethics at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. However, people absorb their sense of right and wrong during childhood but moral development is a life-long process of human beings that pass through different stages of growth as they progressed to maturity.

Reasons why ethics is important in research:

1. To provide participants fair treatment.

Researchers should inform the subjects what they will experience throughout the study before they agree to take part. The primary objective of researchers is to avoid harming the participants by not employing deception. One way ensure is keeping the responses and actions of participants wholly anonymous and unidentifiable. Informed consent of the participants and they must be free to participate or back-out after learning more details about the study. It does not mean that they will know every detail about the study.

2. To give proofs helpful to society.

From findings of research, society is provided valid conclusions reasons to make decisions about moral or ethical questions. Research can provide society answers to relevant topics so they are able to give their own opinion or decision.

3. To set boundaries in research for what science can and cannot do.

These boundaries are essential in providing health, safety, and man’s involvement in science. It is imperative for projects in science to be weighed based on ethical principles for security and approval of the procedures.

4. To provide safety for if research is found not to be ethically sound,

It means that the study is violent or detrimental to the public. Ethics is especially valuable in the phases of testing because humans and animals as subjects must be kept safe and comfortable during the procedure. Unsafe testing procedures as harming the test subject or not taking into count the subject’s limitation are an important ethical issue.

5. To prevent various professionals and society as a whole from being lost,

Today’s world is filled with confusion and many are waylaid in following the right path. This is aggravated by the various different interpretations of societal norms. Ethics has the standard of agreeable conduct and empowers professionals in promoting moral values in their work.

Last words:

The conclusion is the fact that ethics and research go hand-in-hand; ethical standards alleviate values that are essential to collaborative work. It goes a long way in promoting: accountability, fairness, mutual respect, trust; among others. For example, research adopts ethical norms used as principles for authorship, copyright & policies for patenting, policies in sharing data; rules confidentiality in peer review. These are created to safeguard intellectual property interests while coloration is encouraged.