Importance of Ethical Codes & Considerations in Research of Conduct for Researchers
Ethics is more of an innate quality for humans to develop further for a better life. It is the same for researches also. But there are ethical codes by certain government agencies, who publish specific ethical codes to conduct research and report them.
There are many reasons for adhering to certain
basic ethical norms of scientific conduct during academic
research
like:
To be recognized in today’s competitive nature of research
To promote the essential values to collaborative work as
researches are mostly teamwork and need mutual respect to conduct the research
smoothly and successfully.
To promote moral and social values along with the aims and results
of the research
To publish findings of the research transparently
No to do or report faulty work or plagiarizing others’ work
To be accountable for the research being funded by public money,
as many researchers are responsible for their actions during research. They are
bound by regulations on conflict of interest, misconduct, and research
involving humans or animals. They also have to ensure that public money has to
be appropriately spent on the research. Table
1 presents the agencies related to research fund.
Ethic codes for conduct
of researchers:
Apart from the above important considerations
for research, there are specific
ethical codes prescribed by many Government agencies who fund for the research.
Most of them publish their ethical codes, which are mostly advisable, and some
may have legal implications.
Reporting researches honestly without any manipulation of data and
others
Avoiding all kind of bias in research including design, data,
analysis, interpretation and also peer review
Avoiding mistakes by reviewing the research thoroughly and
carefully
Safekeeping of all the information regarding the research for
future reference
Having an openness to share data and any new tools and techniques
developed during the research
Being aware of the legalities concerned with the research area
The most important part of ethical codes and
considerations is, even though if you do nothing illegal, doing something
unethical, may land you in trouble. It
may also end your research career, and hence being aware of ethical codes of
government researches is crucial. Here
are certain dos and do not’s while writing your research:
Ethical do’s for
research:
Maintain a precise record of all your research activities
Report your data in most cautiously and objectively possible
During your research on animals and trees, treat them with respect,
care and empathy
Respect all the intellectual property you use in the research and
give them their due credit in your research for their contributions
Maintain confidentiality wherever necessary during the research
Ethical do not’s for
research:
During research never fabricate, manipulate or misrepresent data
Do not duplicate publications, salami publication or redundant
publications
Without considering ethical issues, do not conduct research in
humans , and or animals
Do not ignore outliers, missing data, reporting post-hoc analysis
without declaring them
Do disclose a conflict of interest
For your further reference, the following
example of an unethical Tom who extrapolates the results without completing
them in full will help you. The main goal of your research
should be to advance science and share knowledge rather than to finish it in
haste. Then, you will never face any ethical issues.