What is your professional position on the research process and findings?

As we evolve into a global social environment, so evolves the way we perceive and interpret research based findings. Can we always trust researchers and their findings and conclusions? No, as evidenced by an increasing number of research misinterpretations, bias, and outright fraud. Consider such examples as the fraudulent research concerning the autism vaccine study and the study linking chronic fatigue syndrome to a virus. Such fraudulent studies and reports have helped to change the way society views the research process and not in a good way! We often view research findings with skepticism, and rightly so.

As business professionals, we often will be tasked with conducting research projects. When conducting any research, we must be sure our processes and procedures are both ethically and socially acceptable. We want to be sure our findings, decisions, and conclusions are sound, clear, and accurately represented. We also want to protect our good name and reputation, as well as that of the company.

Adhering to ethical procedures and protocols is especially true when dealing with human subjects. We must consider the following five guidelines when dealing with human subjects: voluntary participation, informed consent, risk of harm, confidentiality, and anonymity.

The resources below present the most common issues associated with social research and ethical issues. Each provides guidelines on how to conduct social research in a logical sequence. Review the following materials on ethics in research:

Practical Issues of Social Research -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKgm1TiQFh0

Writing up Social Research- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKgm1TiQFh0

What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important?-https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/

assume you are assigned to a committee formed to review the research and experiments outlined in one of the two articles provided below. Select one article. Determine if ethical research guidelines and protocols were violated or not. From an ethical perspective, what is your professional position on the research process and findings? Present your conclusions.

Articles-

Doc in MMR-Autism Scare Ruled Unethical-http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1957656,00.html

Facebook’s Unethical Experiment https://slate.com/technology/2014/06/facebook-unethical-experiment-it-made-news-feeds-happier-or-sadder-to-manipulate-peoples-emotions.html

Ethical guidelines/protocols-

Voluntary participation

Informed consent

Risk of harm

Confidentiality

Anonymity