7 - ethics in research

• Research Ethics are the principles by which researchers decide the best way to balance the contribution of their research to human knowledge against potential damage to human welfare.
• Researchers are obligated to have knowledge of any code of ethics that applies to their research.
• Researchers need to know research ethics before planning and carrying out any research.
• Ask for written permission from those who agree to participate in the research, this is known as informed consent.
• After drafted research project, contact individuals or groups identified as subjects and ask them to be respondents.
• Assure respondents that any information given to the researcher will be kept confidential and their identity will remain anonymous.
• Deliver a rough outline of the research project to these individuals/groups, informing them the objective and procedure of the research.
• The first event in research ethics began during the Doctors Trial in the year of 1946 - 1947.
• The Doctors Trial was a segment of the Nuremberg Trials for Nazi war criminals.
• 23 German Nazi physicians were accused of conducting repulsive and torturous “experiments” in the concentration camp inmates.
• Research Ethics are important because they ensure the safety of research subjects and prevent disordered, unethical or irresponsible research.
• If researchers are ignoring or neglecting the policies designed to protect the research subject, it will be very dangerous for the science environment, as the results and findings will be challenged easily.
• Besides, the whole study would exist a lot of loopholes, and less validity.
• Plagiarism is prohibited in research.
• This is a common thing done by senior researchers who are lifting the weightage of the paper done by inexperienced and junior researchers as well as others that stack authorship in an effort to guarantee publication on a well-known journal.
• There are no consistencies in defining "authorship" or "substantial contribution".
• Researchers must always follow the rules and guidelines of research, not to produce results which are invalid.
• Researchers have to maintain their integrity and trustworthiness, which are enforced and entrusted to them to ensure that studies are ethically conducted, with the results published as public assets.
• The elements of the research code of ethics include reminding researchers to uphold specific moral values before, during & after research, being aware of types of unacceptable behavior & actions & their personal responsibility towards respondents, planning & using research methods that do not cause respondents to suffer negative consequences, not manipulating data & research results & writing honest & sincere reports.
• Fabrication refers to manipulating the results and data, subsequently, the researchers are recording and reporting the data in their research study.
• Another form of plagiarism is known as citation plagiarism, which means the researcher intentionally negligent failure to acknowledge the credits to other researchers’ discoverers.
• Plagiarism is one of the most common types of scientific misconduct in the research world today.
• Plagiarism refers to the actions of appropriation of another researcher's ideas, processes, results, statements or justification, without giving appropriate credits in their works, published the particular ideas and claiming the credit of the ideas.
• Falsification refers to the researcher manipulating the research materials, equipment, process, changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
• There must be a set of standard that a human subject of the experiment must give comprehensive informed consent to the experiment.
• There are three types of research misconduct: fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.
• Research misconduct is not only limited to not listing authorship, but also includes the conferring authorship on other parties that have not made significant efforts to the research.
• It is the responsibilities of the researcher to be fully aware and understand about the particular policies and theories designed, in order to make sure the validity and reliability of the research practices.
• Animal research has been conducted to gain understanding about the impacts of drug abuse and physical dependence on human behavior.
• The researcher should make every effort to minimize the discomfort, pain, illness and stress of animals.
• When there is even one part of a research project is questionable or conducted unethically, the integrity of the entire project will be turn into questionable, regardless how much efforts had been spent previously.
• All the researchers should understand clearly about they had been hold with the trust and belief from the public, to use their knowledge to transform, as well as improve the human’s life.
• It is important for the researcher to ensure that the methods used are humane and worthwhile.
• It is always encouraged to submit the result to the peer review, which allow sharing the knowledge, as well as maintain the upstanding in the research ethical.
• A drop of dirty water will contaminate a glass of clean water, however, a drop of clean water will not purify a glass of dirty water.
• When it is appropriate that the life of the animal’s life to be terminated, it should be done rapidly and painlessly.
• The scientist should administer anesthetic and analgesic to the animals so that they won’t suffer during and after the surgery or experimentation.
• Bred strains of rats or mice are used by researchers to understand the vulnerability of drug dependence towards human beings.
• Infection shall be prevented by using antibiotic and proper experimental procedures.
• Scientists from biological psychology and neuroscience occasionally use animals in their research.