Ethics

• Confidentiality


  Concerns the communication of personal information from one person to another, and the trust that the information will be protected.
• Debriefing


  A post-research interview designed to inform participants of the true nature of the study and to restore them to the physical and psychological state they were in at the start of the study. It is not an ethical issue; it is a means of dealing with ethical issues.
• Deception


  A participant is not told the true aim of the study and thus cannot give truly informed consent.
• Ethical guidelines (code of conduct)


  A set of principles designed to help professionals behave honestly and with integrity.
• Ethical issues


  Concern questions of right and wrong. They arise in research where there are conflicting sets of values between researchers and participants.
• Ethics committee


  A group of people within a research institution that must approve a study before it begins.
• Informed consent


  Participants must be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it, in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate.
• Privacy


  A person’s right to control the flow of information about themselves.
• Protection from harm


  During a research study, participants should not experience negative physical or psychological effects, such as physical injury, lowered self-esteem or embarrassment.
• Right to withdraw


  Participants can stop participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way. This is especially important in cases where it was not possible to give fully informed consent. Participants should also have the right to refuse permission for the researcher to use any data they produced.