Research Ethics

RESEARCH ETHICS
Ethics are the moral principles that a person must follow, irrespective of the place or time. Behaving ethically
involves doing the right thing at the right time. The term ethics comes from the Greek ethos, meaning either a
community’s shared customs or an individual’s character, good or bad. As a social activity, research
challenges to define individual ethical principles and the choices that honor or violate them.
Research ethics focus on the moral principles that researchers must follow in their respective fields of
research. Research ethics provide guidelines for the responsible conduct of research. They educate and monitor
scientists conducting research to ensure a high ethical standard. Ethical norms also serve the aims or goals of
research and apply to people who conduct scientific research or other scholarly or creative activities.
There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in research. As norms promote
the aims of research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. For example, prohibitions against
fabricating, falsifying, or misrepresenting research data promote the truth and minimize error. Following are
the ethics must be followed by a researcher.
Some ethical choices are as:
• Ethical researchers do not plagiarize or claim credit for the results of others.
• They do not misreport sources, invent data, or fake results.
• They do not submit data whose accuracy they don’t trust, unless they say so.
• They do not conceal objections that they cannot rebut.
• They do not caricature or distort opposing views.
• They do not destroy data or conceal sources important for those who follow.
Research offers every reader an ethical invitation that, when not just dutifully accepted but embraced, can
serve the best interests of both researchers and their readers. Because when a community of shared
understanding and interest is created, a higher standard for your work is established.
Honesty:
Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data, results, methods and
procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data. Do not deceive colleagues,
research sponsors, or the public.
Objectivity:
Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review, personnel
decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of research where objectivity is expected or
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required. Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception. Disclose personal or financial interests that may affect
research.
Integrity:
Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought and action.
Carefulness:
Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your own work and the work of
your peers. Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research design, and
correspondence with agencies or journals.
Openness:
Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.
Respect for Intellectual Property:
Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data,
methods, or results without permission. Give credit where credit is due. Never plagiarize.
Confidentiality:
Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for publication, personnel
records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.
Responsible Publication:
Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance just your own career. Avoid
wasteful and duplicative publication.
Responsible Mentoring:
Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote their welfare and allow them to make their own
decisions.
Respect for Colleagues:
Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.

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Social Responsibility:
Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through research, public education,
and advocacy.
Non-Discrimination:
Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors
that are not related to their scientific competence and integrity.
Competence:
Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong education and
learning; take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.
Legality:
Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.
Animal Care:
Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct unnecessary
or poorly designed animal experiments.
Human Subjects Protection:
When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits;
respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy; take special precautions with vulnerable populations; and
strive to distribute the benefits and burdens of research fairly.
In short, when a research is ethically reported, the researcher joins a community in a search for some
common good. When the sources are respected, data is preserved and acknowledged and all the other ethical
parameters are met, a larger benefit is earned by creating a bond with reader. In this way, a contribution into
the existing body of knowledge is done without harming any individual or societal norms.

Research Ethics

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RESEARCH ETHICS

Some ethical choices are as:

Respect for Intellectual Property:

Respect for Colleagues:

Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.

Human Subjects Protection:

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