Research tasks and exercises (supplement for students)
Exercise 1
Duration: 30 min.
Methods: text analyses, discussion
Instruction:
Read and analyze the following examples of ethical misconduct in research:
1) The Tuskegee syphilis study conducted in the US between 1932 and 1972 is an example of extreme misconduct in medical research. Research participants (600 young black men) were not only deceived about the aim of the research but also seriously harmed as a result. While they were falsely told they would receive free healthcare, they were in fact not treated, as the aim of the study was to examine the effects of syphilis being left untreated. In consequence, 128 of the participants died due to syphilis-related causes (source: P. Bhandari, Ethical Considerations in Research | Types & Examples, “Scribbr”, 18.10.2021 (accessed 10.04.2022)).
2) Milgram experiment is an example of unethical research in psychology. In 1961, Stanley Milgram conducted a study in which he aimed to explore people’s willingness vs. refusal to obey authority. The participants were deceived into thinking they were causing physical harm (electric shock) as punishment for an incorrectly completed task to another study “participant” (who was, in fact, an actor). Despite hearing the fake participant’s screams and pleads to stop harming him, and being visibly distressed, some of the actual research participants continued inflicting electric shocks since the experimenter insisted this was necessary (source: 20 Most Unethical Experiments in Psychology, “Online Psychology Degree Guide” (accessed 10.04.2022))
Find other examples that show that ignorance of research ethics, which in itself defines good and legitimate principles of research conduct (protection of participant rights based on the protection of human rights and freedoms, prohibition of research methods that harm human dignity), can lead to ethically problematic consequences for both researchers and researched.
Exercise 2
Duration: 45 min.
Methods: video analyses, discussion
Instruction:
Watch this 18-minute-long lecture (Scientific Misconduct, “Indian Journal of Rheumatology”, 3.08.2020) about research misconduct. Focus on the fragment concerning plagiarism. Think about whether you have ever committed similar misconduct without being aware of it, e.g. when writing essays or other papers.
Note your answers on a piece of paper and then discuss with other students.
Exercise 3
Duration: 30 min.
Methods: texts analyses, discussion
Instruction:
Read the tips concerning using images of participants in research publications (lesson above). With these aspects in mind, consider whether the images in your research presentation (presentation of the results) are ethically coded and whether other photos you use are under copyright?
An analysis of the following materials will help you answer this question.
Exercise 4
Duration: 45 min.
Methods: video analyses, discussion
Instruction:
Work in groups (3-4 students together).
Watch the film about “Blue-eyes, brown-eyes” experiment (Jane Elliott’s “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” Anti-Racism Exercise, The Oprah Winfrey):
In groups, discuss the video with a focus on the ethics of this study.
- Point out the arguments for and against conducting research on discrimination against adults or children with adults and children as participants
- What harm was done to the participants?
- Why might this kind of study with students as participants considered unethical?
- Point out the most important (in your opinion) principles of ethical approach in conducting social research concerning the so-called vulnerable groups of research participants, such as children, women experiencing violence, religious minorities, homeless people, young adults with disabilities, refugees, or people with with PTSD syndrome as key actors of the research process (you can check case studies connected with one vulnerable group – children: Ethical Research Involving Children (accessed 10.04.2022)).
If you want to find out about research with vulnerable groups, read this open access article:
- Markowska-Manista U., (2018). The ethical dilemmas of research with children from the countries of the Global South. Whose participation? “Polish Journal of Educational Studies”, Vol. I (LXXI), pp. 51-65, DOI: 10.2478/poljes-2018-0005
- And text: UK Research and Innovation, Research with potentially vulnerable people, 12.10.2021 (accessed 10.04.2022)).
Exercise 5
Duration: 45 min.
Methods: texts analyses, discussion, working groups
Instruction:
Read the materials about research ethics below.
- Howe, K. & Moses, M. (1999). Ethics in educational research. “Review of Research in Education”, vol. 24, pp. 21-60:
See also:
- Alderson, P. & Morrow, V. (2004). Ethics, social research and consulting with children and young people (Essex: Barnardos);
- Alderson, P., & Morrow, V. (2011). The ethics of research with children and young people: A practical handbook. SAGE publications Ltd.
- Markowska-Manista U., (2020). “Clarity about the purpose of research.” In: P. Alderson & V. Morrow (Eds.). The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People. Los Angeles: SAGE, pp. 22-23.
Worksheet: Ethical issues in research
Questions for critical reflection
Read the following research description:
| Researchers from a European university flew to a Sub-Saharan country to do a study on childcare in one of the local communities. They did not ask the community for consent to participate in the research. The researchers recorded the community’s daily life with a photo and video camera. After the study, they returned to their university and published the results in one of European languages in an academic journal. The research results were not translated into the language of the researched community, nor were they made available to them. |
1. Consider whether:
- a similar study would be possible in your home country,
- you would be comfortable if the study involved members of your own family,
- visible and invisible power disparities were considered in the research design and implementation,
- participants appeared to have been exposed to risk,
- the contributions of local partners were sufficiently credited.
Source: Cronin-Furman, K., & Lake, M. (2018). Ethics abroad: Fieldwork in fragile and violent contexts. “PS: Political Science & Politics”, 51(3), p. 612.
Having answered the questions above, read the fragment about the concept of double standards* in Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings, TRUST Equitable Research Partnerships (accessed 10.04.2022).
* Double standards in research reflect asymmetry in the perception of co-researchers, subjects, asymmetry in relationships, actions or approaches. It is about the use of power relations of one party (who feels better, more important, more competent) over the other. Double standards occur in research situations in which one or more individuals, circumstances, contexts (e.g. non-European) or events are treated differently, whereas they should be treated in the same way. An example can be colonial relations in research in which researchers from countries of the so-called Global North do not take into account universal ethical standards conducting research in countries of the so-called Global South (conduct research in an unethical way, do not ask for consent to do research, do not protect the participants in the same way as they protect participants in the research process in the EU etc.). It should be remembered that we are dealing with this type of practices also in the countries of the so-called Global North concerning vulnerable groups and sensitive context (see: Markowska-Manista, Górak-Sosnowska, 2022).
Think about the following question: Why are there double standards in social science research?
2. Choose an example of unethical research from this text: Unethical Research Practices to Avoid: Examples & Detection, “Formplus” (accessed 10.04.2022).
- What made it unethical?
- How should it be conducted to call it ethical?
3. What are the causes of “research misconduct”? Choose one from the list below and discuss it in greater detail (provide examples).
List based on the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and the US Office of Research Integrity analyses
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Source: 10 Types of Scientific Misconduct, Enago Academy, 26.11.2021 (accessed 10.04.2022).