Ethics

• Ethics refers to the diverse set of values, norms, and institutional regulations that help constitute and regulate sociological research; they make research morally right. The BSA is responsible for setting the ethical guidelines of research and making sure it treats the individuals as human
• 4 main areas of ethical concern:  

  1. Deception 
  2. Informed consent 
  3. Harm to participants 
  4. Invasion of privacy 
• Deception can occur when researchers represent their work as something other than what it is, therefore deceiving the people involved 
• Informed consent ensures participants have sufficient information to make an informed decision about whether to join the study. Sociologists may find it challenging, as full disclosure could influence results.
• Research that could likely harm participants it's regarded as unacceptable. 'Harm' could entail a number of things; physical harm, harm to participants development, loss of self-esteem, stress, and inducing subjects to perform shameful, degrading, or unlawful acts 
• An invasion of privacy focuses on the individual's right to anonymity and confidentiality in research. It can happen through covert methods or inadequate data protection. To address this, privacy is maintained by altering or removing key participant characteristics in study reports.