Ethical Guidelines for Research

Contributors: Eburt



Abstract:

This article will attempt to outline ethical guidelines when conducting Pen Spinning research. The majority of these are based on accepted guidelines determined by the scientific community. The guidelines are broken down into two sub-groups involving social ethics and physical/economic ethics. In addition some justification and explanations are provided to clarify the article.

Index:
1) Introduction
2) Social Ethics
3) Economic/Physical Ethics
4) Closing Thoughts
5) See Also

Introduction:

With the advent of serious research in the field of Pen Spinning it is my belief that the same ethical issues that concern scientific research in general should apply to Pen Spinning research as well. This may be mostly unimportant for the majority of research; however the guidelines might as well exist for those projects which might need them. In particular the social ethics section will likely be important to some research. As such I have elected to create a general outline of said guidelines to be considered and updated as necessary.

Social Ethics:

Social ethics refers to ethical guidelines which pertain to interactions between people within a study such that the rights of those individuals are maintained.

The first and foremost rule is that no harm may come to any participants in the study. This goes without saying, and it is also likely not necessary to say due to the fact that Pen Spinning research does not usually entail dangerous situations. It should also be noted that asking participants to do something illegal/against board rules would constitute putting them in unnecessary danger and therefore unacceptable.

When performing research it is also important that the participation is completely voluntary. That is not to say that minor incentives could not be provided for assisting a study; however it would be unacceptable, for example, for an admin to threaten to ban people who refused to participate in their study.

The next concern is that all participants should be well informed of what the study is and how it will work. For example, if polling peoples’ opinions for a study, it is important to inform them what the goals and hopes of the study are in at least a brief outline. Deception is usually not acceptable unless it is required for the study. In such cases the study should be reviewed by the Research Department and approved by demonstrating that the deception is justified.

Another concern related to the above is anonymity of the participants. One should always promise and maintain the anonymity of the participants in a study. When writing a report it may be said that a certain number of people participated and provide relevant statistics on those individuals; however it should not be said that person x, y and z said something.

It is also important to consider why you are performing a study and for whom. This may become important when considering financial funding of more expensive studies. If a company/person has asked you to perform research or agreed to fund you then it is important to realize that they most likely want a specific result. As a result of this it is even more important than usual to remain objective throughout the research and make sure the study is not contaminated.

As an additional note on participation, language barriers may become a problem when attempting to attain a random sample. Should this occur translators may become necessary and should be acquired as necessary.

A final guideline involves giving credit where due to contributors to the research. This means that the head of the study should be clearly identified and that all researchers should receive credit in any publishings. Also financial contributions should be noted. Participants, of course, should not be mentioned to maintain their confidentiality.

Economic/Physical Ethics:

The principal concern here is that economic concerns of a study are met. In particular studies involving pen modification may result is high economic costs. As a general rule participants should not be required to pay the bill in such projects, and the supplies should be provided by the research team. This sort of research in particular would likely require research grants and donations to support it.

Other materials and costs should be considered in a similar manner and appropriate steps must be taken in order to achieve the research goals. A report should include where said supplies came from for other researchers’ reference. The paragraph above on sponsorships and motivation for research should be reviewed in this regard.

The final contingent here is that materials that are borrowed should not be harmed in the research. If research requires such actions then the materials should be purchased/donated so that no one has a material loss that is unexpected.

Closing Thoughts:

I don’t expect that the majority of these guidelines will be necessary on a regular basis in Pen Spinning research. I do, however, feel that the guidelines should be there and that people should be aware of them for use in research should issues come up. It would be particularly bad if a perfectly good project were ruined by such issues as it would hurt not only that project but the credibility of Pen Spinning research as a whole.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me either by Personal Message here on UPSB, or by emailing me at [email protected]

See Also:

“Policies and Procedures When Conduction Research”
“Proper Format for Writing a Research Article”
(insert appropriate links to finished articles)