Research ethics is not only for medical scientists. Anyone who collects data from people, uses other researchers’ work, or publishes with co-authors faces ethical questions. Teachers surveying students, geographers interviewing farmers, and sociologists studying communities all have responsibilities toward the people they study and the readers who trust their findings.
Here are the core principles every researcher should know.
1. Informed consent
When your research involves people, through surveys, interviews, tests or observation, they should agree to take part with a clear understanding of what is involved.
Good practice includes:
- Explaining the purpose of the study in simple language, in a language the participant understands
- Telling participants what they will be asked to do and how long it will take
- Making it clear that participation is voluntary and they can stop at any time
- Explaining how their information will be used and protected
- Getting consent in writing where possible, or recording verbal consent where literacy is a concern
For research with children, consent from a parent or guardian is needed, along with the child’s own agreement. Studies in schools usually also need permission from the institution.
2. Privacy and confidentiality
- Do not publish names or identifying details of participants without permission.
- Use codes (Respondent 1, Farmer A) in your analysis and paper.
- Be careful with small communities, where even a job title and village name can identify a person.
- Store data securely and share it only with people who need it for the research.
- Get permission before taking or publishing photographs of people.
3. Data integrity
Research is only useful if the data is real and honestly reported. Serious misconduct includes:
- Fabrication: inventing data or results.
- Falsification: changing data, removing inconvenient results, or manipulating images or figures.
- Selective reporting: mentioning only results that support your hypothesis.
Keep your raw data, questionnaires and field notes safely, even after publication. Journals and institutions may ask to see them if questions arise.
4. Fair authorship
Authorship disputes are surprisingly common. A widely accepted principle is that every author should have:
- Made a real intellectual contribution to the study (designing it, collecting or analysing data, or interpreting results)
- Helped write or critically revise the paper
- Approved the final version
- Agreed to take responsibility for the work
Some practices to avoid:
- Gift authorship: adding someone as an author because of their position, without real contribution.
- Ghost authorship: leaving out someone who did substantial work.
- Adding authors without their knowledge.
People who helped in other ways, such as providing access to a field site, typing data, or giving general advice, can be thanked in the acknowledgements. Discuss authorship and author order early in a project to avoid disagreements later.
5. Conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest exists when something could influence, or appear to influence, your research, such as funding from an organisation that benefits from certain results. Declare such interests in your paper. Declaring a conflict does not mean the research is wrong; it allows readers to judge for themselves.
6. Duplicate publication
Submitting the same paper to two journals at the same time, or publishing the same findings twice without disclosure, wastes reviewers’ time and distorts the research record. Submit to one journal at a time.
7. Ethics committees
Many universities have an institutional ethics committee that reviews research involving human participants. If your institution has one, check whether your study needs approval before you begin data collection.
Final thought
Ethical research protects participants, maintains trust in published work and protects your own reputation. Most ethical problems can be avoided with a little planning: think through consent, privacy, data handling and authorship before you begin.
— Editorial Team, Imaginative Ink Publications