People Studying People: Research Ethics in Society

If we consider data collection and its reporting to make up research, then we will all have been exposed to being participants in some form of social research. Data collection from people in society is now part of everyday life. Ethical research demands that respect is afforded to the rights and dignity of human participants. Studies need to be designed to be worthwhile and any potential harm anticipated and minimised. Ethical research requires thinking carefully about what constitutes participation in research and the responsibilities of researchers not only to participants, but also to all those affected by a study.

On this free online course you will be supported in reflecting on the value of ethical thinking for research and discover an ethical appraisal framework that you can apply to empirical research projects in social science, arts, education and the humanities. The course is designed to offer insights for both researchers and potential participants.

The course starts by exploring what ethics is and why it is important to research through a consideration of examples of studies which can be challenged in terms of their ethicality. We will use an ethical appraisal framework to illustrate ways of thinking about the ethical implications of designing a study and recruiting participants, taking into consideration different stakeholder perspectives. We will reflect on how it is important to show integrity as a researcher whilst conducting and reporting studies. This will include thinking about what might go wrong in a study and how these issues might be anticipated.

This course has been developed by members of the University of Leicester College of Social Science, Arts and Humanities and is supported by an extensive set of resources for researchers on a website entitled Doing Ethical Research.