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    Sma4801 Lu5 Research Ethics

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    Molepa Isaac Seabela
    This document provides an overview of Learning Unit 5 on research ethics. It discusses key topics like the importance of research ethics, concepts of ethical conduct, ethical principles, review boards and ethics committees, and guidelines for ethical decision making. The unit aims to help students understand research ethics and how to apply ethical standards throughout the research process, from the design stage through disseminating findings. Review boards and ethics committees play an important role in ensuring research proposals meet ethical guidelines before data collection. Following ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, informed consent, and others is vital for conducting research responsibly and protecting human participants.

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    Sma4801 Lu5 Research Ethics

    Uploaded by

    Molepa Isaac Seabela
    27 views6 pages
    This document provides an overview of Learning Unit 5 on research ethics. It discusses key topics like the importance of research ethics, concepts of ethical conduct, ethical principles, review boards and ethics committees, and guidelines for ethical decision making. The unit aims to help students understand research ethics and how to apply ethical standards throughout the research process, from the design stage through disseminating findings. Review boards and ethics committees play an important role in ensuring research proposals meet ethical guidelines before data collection. Following ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, informed consent, and others is vital for conducting research responsibly and protecting human participants.

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    This document provides an overview of Learning Unit 5 on research ethics. It discusses key topics like the importance of research ethics, concepts of ethical conduct, ethical principles, review boards and ethics committees, and guidelines for ethical decision making. The unit aims to help students understand research ethics and how to apply ethical standards throughout the research process, from the design stage through disseminating findings. Review boards and ethics committees play an important role in ensuring research proposals meet ethical guidelines before data collection. Following ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, informed consent, and others is vital for conducting research responsibly and protecting human participants.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    27 views6 pages

    Sma4801 Lu5 Research Ethics

    Uploaded by

    Molepa Isaac Seabela
    This document provides an overview of Learning Unit 5 on research ethics. It discusses key topics like the importance of research ethics, concepts of ethical conduct, ethical principles, review boards and ethics committees, and guidelines for ethical decision making. The unit aims to help students understand research ethics and how to apply ethical standards throughout the research process, from the design stage through disseminating findings. Review boards and ethics committees play an important role in ensuring research proposals meet ethical guidelines before data collection. Following ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, informed consent, and others is vital for conducting research responsibly and protecting human participants.

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    of 6

    

    5 LEARNING UNIT 5
    5 RESEARCH ETHICS

    5.1 INTRODUCTION
    Research involving human participants contributed many life-saving things to our
    lives but it has not always considered the ethical aspects involved with working
    with humans. Learning unit 5 is intended to help you understand the importance
    of research ethics. Chapter 7 of the prescribed book (Fouché, C.B., Strydom, H.
    & Roestenburg, W.J.H. [Eds.]. 2020. Research at grass roots – for the social sciences and
    human services professions. 5th edition. Cape Town: Van Schaik – ISBN 9780627038211)
    is titled ethical conduct in research with human participants. In this chapter,
    the main elements that play a role in professional practice and research ethics are
    briefly discussed.

    FIGURE 5.1
    Module outline (lesson 5)

    44
    LEARNING UNIT 5: Research ethics

    5.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES


    After working through this learning unit and the relevant parts of the prescribed
    book, you should be able to:

    • define ethics as a concept for the human services professions


    • explain the various ethical issues and principles in professional research
    • gain a perspective on the importance of the role of review boards or
    ethical committees
    • implement guidelines for ethical decision-making in a research project

    5.3 CONTENT OF THE LEARNING UNIT


    To achieve the aim and learning outcomes of this unit, you will cover the following
    topics in chapter 7 of the prescribed book:
    (1) concepts of ethical conduct
    (2) ethical principles
    (3) review boards and ethics committees
    (4) guidelines for ethical decision making
    After reading and thinking about the contents of chapter 7 of the prescribed book,
    you will have to explain the concepts of research ethics, ethical principles, the role
    of review boards, and ethics committees and guidelines for ethical decision making.

    5.4 KEY CONCEPTS


    The following key terms are important in this learning unit:

    • access to services • ethical conduct


    • actions and competence of • dissemination and publication of
    researchers findings
    • anonymity and confidentiality; • ethical principles
    • beneficence • human participants
    • code of ethics • informed consent
    • collaboration with contributors • institutional review boards (IRBs)
    and sponsors • non-maleficence
    • compensation • research ethics committees
    • conflict of interest (RECs)
    • cultural sensitivity • transparency
    • debriefing • violation of privacy
    • voluntary participation

    Remember to take a look at the glossary of terms that has been uploaded on myUnisa
    under Additional Resources. If you see a term and you do not know what it means,
    stop and go to the glossary. This will familiarise you with the terminology of research
    and you will get comfortable with the content of this module much quicker.

    https://mymodules.dtls.unisa.ac.za/pluginfile.php/15594258/mod_folder/content/0/
    SMA4801_Glossary%20of%20terms%20Eng.docx?forcedownload=1

    After working through the learning unit, you should be able to explain all of the
    above-mentioned concepts. These concepts are all explained or defined in the
    prescribed textbook and this unit.

    SMA4801/145
    

    5.5 CONCEPTS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT


    Study the section titled concepts of ethical conduct in the prescribed textbook.
    In this section, the concept of ethics is defined in terms of research.

    Ethics is a set of moral principles that is suggested by an individual or group, is


    subsequently widely accepted, and offers rules, and behavioural expectations about
    the most correct conduct towards experimental subjects and respondents, employers,
    sponsors, other researchers, assistants and students (Fouché et al., 2022:118).

    Let us start off with ethical theories. Follow the link to watch the video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyF8UzDMNsw

    ACTIVITY 5.1: CONCEPTS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT

    You need to log on to myUnisa to access and complete this activity. Remember that the
    SMA4801 myUnisa site is a vital part of your module content.
    How would you define ethics as a core concept of research in the human services
    professions?
    Ethics can be defined as a set of moral principles that is suggested by an individual or
    group, is subsequently widely accepted and that offers rules and behavioural expectations
    about the most correct conduct towards participants, respondents, employers, sponsors,
    other researchers, assistants, and students. Ethical guidelines also serve as standards
    of conduct and a basis upon which each researcher must evaluate their own conduct.
    As such, this is an aspect that should be borne in mind continuously. Ethical principles
    should be internalised in the personality of the researcher to such an extent that ethically
    guided decision making, and the humane and sensitive treatment of participants, become
    part of the total lifestyle.

    5.6 ETHICAL PRINCIPLES


    Study the section titled ethical principles in the prescribed textbook. This section
    of the prescribed textbook describes the different ethical principles that guide all
    research activities. These ethical principles are non-maleficence, beneficence, voluntary
    participation, informed consent, transparency, privacy, anonymity, confidentiality,
    access to services, compensation, debriefing, actions and competence of the researcher,
    cooperation with the contributors and sponsors, dissemination of findings, social
    and cultural sensitivity, and conflict of interest. Look out for these terms as you work
    through this section of the prescribed textbook.
    Click on the link below to take a look at the discussion of ethical principles:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKz1RmOnF7g

    ACTIVITY 5.2: ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

    You need to log on to myUnisa to access and complete this activity. Remember that
    the SMA4801 myUnisa site is a vital part of your module content.
    *Download the SAN CODE OF RESEARCH ETHICS. Select one of the principles and
    explain why you think it is important.

    46
    LEARNING UNIT 5: Research ethics

    5.7 REVIEW BOARDS AND ETHICS COMMITTEES


    Study the section titled review boards and ethics committees in the prescribed
    textbook. Universities, research institutions and major organisations have
    ethics committees or institutional review committees that consider each research
    proposal in accordance with strict guidelines and procedures before the researchers
    are allowed to conduct their research. For some research projects, the researchers
    will require ethical clearance from the university as well as from the organisation
    within which they want to conduct their research.

    ACTIVITY 5.3: REVIEW BOARD AND ETHICS COMMITTEES

    You need to log on to myUnisa to access and complete this activity. Remember that
    the SMA4801 myUnisa site is a vital part of your module content.
    *Download the UNISA Policy on Research Ethics. Read the basic principles for research
    involving human participants and select one of the moral or general ethics principles.
    Write a short paragraph to explain the importance of the principle you selected.

    Policy on Research Ethics - ref appr - Co

    5.8 GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL DECISION MAKING


    Study the section titled guidelines for ethical decision making in the prescribed
    textbook, paying close attention to the risk-benefit analysis, recruitment, participation
    and dissemination as it relates to ethical decision making in research.

    FIGURE 5.2
    Guidelines for ethical decision making: the four quadrants of research ethics
    (Fouché et al., 2022:131)

    SMA4801/147
    

    Take a look at the video below for a discussion of ethical practice:

    https://youtu.be/R5vuihGRtyE

    5.9 SUMMARY OF LEARNING UNIT


    This learning unit provided an overview of the concepts of ethical conduct, ethical
    principles, review boards, and ethics committees and finally guidelines for ethical
    decision making. Ethical conduct is at the heart of all research activities and ethical
    principles should not only inform ethical research but also ethical decision making
    throughout our lives.

    The next learning unit will look at quantitative research design (Learning unit 6)
    followed by a discussion of big data in social science research in lesson 6.

    5.10 REFERENCES
    Bertram, C. & Christiansen, I. 2020. Understanding research. An introduction to reading
    research. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
    Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. 2018. Research methods in education. New York:
    Routledge.
    Epistemology, ontology and axiology in research by Organizational Communication
    Channel (8:03). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhdZOsBps5o
    (accessed on 29 August 2020).
    Fouché, C.B., Strydom, H. & Roestenburg, W.J.H. (Eds.). 2021. Research at grass
    roots – for the social sciences and human services professions. 5th edition. Cape Town:
    Van Schaik.
    King, B., Aslam, V., Donald, A., Henderson, S., Anderson, W. & Nortje, A. 2017.
    Research in practice. Cape Town: Edge learning media.
    Zarah, L. 2019. 7 Reasons why research is important. [Online] Available at: https://
    owlcation.com/academia/Why-Research-is-Important-Within-and-Beyond-
    the-Academe (accessed on 19 March 2020).

    Additional reading:
    SAN Code on Research ethics http://www.globalcodeofconduct.org/wp-
    content/uploads/2019/02/SanCodeHistory.
    pdf
    Policy on research ethics (UNISA) https://www.unisa.ac.za/static/corporate_
    web/Content/Colleges/CLAW/Research/
    Docs/Policy%20on%20Research%20
    Ethics%20 -%20rev%20appr%20 -%20
    Council%20-%2015.09.2016.pdf
    Research Ethics: Definition, Principles and ht tps: // w w w.public healthnotes.c om /
    Advantages research-ethics-definition-principles-and-
    advantages/

    Principles of research – The Belmont https://www.city.ac.uk/research/support/


    Report integrity-and-ethics/ethics/principles
    Laerd Dissertation – principles for research https://dissertation.laerd.com/principles-
    ethics of-research-ethics.php

    48
    LEARNING UNIT 5: Research ethics

    World Health Organization https://www.who.int/activities/ensuring-


    ethical-standards-and-procedures-for-
    research-with-human-beings
    Global advocacy for HIV prevention avac.org/principles-research-ethics
    (principles of research ethics)
    American Psychological Association – ht t ps: // w w w. apa.o r g /m o nito r/ jan 0 3 /
    principles for research ethics principles

    Assessment 3 MCQ

    SMA4801/149

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