People Studying People: Research Ethics in Society

When we think of data collection and its reporting as part of research, we all will have been exposed to some form or other social research. Data collection from society is now part and parcel of daily life. Respect for the dignity and rights of human participants is essential to ethical research. It is important to design studies that are worthwhile, and to minimize any potential harm. It is important to think carefully about the definition of participation in research. Researchers have responsibilities not only to participants but to everyone affected by the study. This free online course will help you reflect on ethical thinking and develop an ethical appraisal framework to apply to empirical research projects in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. This course provides insights for potential participants and researchers alike. This course will explore ethics and the importance of research. It will also examine examples of ethically-sound studies. To illustrate how to think about ethical implications when designing a study or recruiting participants, we will use an ethics appraisal framework. This framework takes into account different stakeholder perspectives. When conducting research and reporting on it, we will consider how important it is to be honest. We will also discuss what could go wrong during a study, and how to anticipate these problems. This course was developed by the University of Leicester College of Social Science, Arts and Humanities. It is supported by a large set of resources on the website Doing Ethical Research.