Protecting Research Subjects

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Cases

Protecting Research Subjects

What is this about?

This is a fictional case of a doctoral student and her supervisor who would like to publish data in the form of ethnographic photography. However, there are facing the following three challenges: a) permission for publishing photographs of the community researched had not initially been sought from the ethics review board, b) nor had it been sought from the subjects photographed, and, c) the photographic material contains images that might be considered questionable child rearing practices by today’s western societies’ standards.

Why is this important?

Social research, especially ethnographic, may be less accurate when it comes to predictions of precise methodological steps, possible scenarios encountered and directions of findings. As noted previously, ethnographic research may often be less understood by ethics committees who may carry some degree of ‘biomedical bias’, threatening both the research’s methodology and its direction.

This is an interesting case for discussion amongst all those working in ethnographic research (i.e., students, supervisors, researchers) or dealing with it (i.e., ethic committee members and administrators). It is also a useful resource for teaching ethnographic research methods.

Finally, the case further reminds us that protecting human research subjects from harm and at the same time promoting their best interests may sometimes become a seemingly contradictory affair.

For whom is this important?

phd studentsresearchersstudentsSupervisorsResearch integrity trainers

What are the best practices?

According to the Belmont[1] report:

·        Respect

·        Beneficence

·        Justice

Other information

Virtues & Values

• Respect

Good Practices & Misconduct

• Consent