Ethical Research Practice—Doing What’s Right

Abstract

When you ask questions that set individuals to searching their memories with intention, it’s not always clear what the outcome will be. As a conscientious researcher, you need to keep sight of the possibility that what transpires in an interview could put your narrator at some discomfort, disadvantage, or jeopardy. While perhaps not as risky as biomedical research or pharmaceutical testing, social science and educational investigations are not without a potential for harm. Agencies and institutions receiving federal funds are required by law to maintain protective oversight of proposed research investigations that involve living human beings. Subsumed within these mandates is the simple matter of ethical behavior to govern research practice.