UNIT 2: RESEARCH ETHICS

Contents to be covered in this unit are:

2.1 Basics of Research Ethics

2.2 Codes and Policies for Research Ethics

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 OBJECTIVES OF THIS UNIT
After completing this unit, students will be able to:
 Define research ethics in the context of engineering research
 Discuss the importance(s) of ethics in engineering research
 Discuss crucial principles of ethics that constitute the codes and
policies of research ethics

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2.1 BASICS OF RESEARCH ETHICS
Ethics is one of the most crucial areas of research, with
deception, misconduct and abuses in research
increasingly becoming a crucial area of discussion for
professionals and researchers engaged in various fields of
research.
 Ethics is the study of the characteristics of morals, and involves
the moral choices made by individuals as they interact with other
persons.
 Engineers need to be aware of ethics as they make choices during
their professional practice of engineering.
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 Engineering ethics will be defined as the rules and standards
governing the conduct of engineers in their roles as professionals.
 Research ethics deals primarily with the interaction between
researchers and the people they study;
 while Professional ethics deals, among others, with additional issues
such as collaborative relationships among researchers, mentoring
relationships, intellectual property, fabrication of data and plagiarism.

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Today it is widely acknowledged that researchers without training and
awareness of principles of research ethics are at risk of perpetrating abuses
or making mistakes of real consequences.
Ethics in research are very important when we are going to undertake a
research (perform an experiment, conduct an interview, participant
observation, etc.). They apply when you are planning, conducting and
evaluating research.
Whenever we conduct research on/with people, the well-being of research
participants must be our top priority.

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 Many different disciplines, institutions, and professions have
norms for behavior that suit their particular aims and goals.
 There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to
ethical norms in research
1. Promote aims of research - prohibitions against fabricating,
falsifying, or misleading research data promote knowledge truth
and avoid error.
2. Promote values that are essential to collaborative work - it
includes trust, accountability, mutual respect and fairness.
Example: guidelines for authorship, copyright and
patenting policies, data sharing policies, and confidentiality
rules in peer review, are designed to protect intellectual
property interests while encouraging collaboration.
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3. Ensure accountability to the public - research
misconduct, on conflicts of interest, on the human
study participant’s protections, researchers who are
funded by public money can be held accountable to
the public.
4. Build public support for research - People are
more likely to fund research project if they can
trust the quality and integrity of research.
5. Promote a variety of other important moral and
social values, such as social responsibility, human
rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law,
and health and safety.

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 2.2 Codes and Policies for Research Ethics

 Referring the importance of ethics for the conduct of research, different

professional associations, government agencies, and universities have
adopted specific codes, rules, and policies relating to research ethics.
For instance, codes of ethics have been established by professional
engineering societies such as:
 the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE),
 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), etc.

These codes serve as a framework for ethical judgment of a

professional engineer. The codes also express the rights, duties, and
obligations of the members of the profession.
national-research-ethics-review-guidline.pdf
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In general, major ethical principles that are addressed in various codes of
ethical research are:
 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, granting agencies, 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 required.
 Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception.

 Disclose personal or financial interests that may affect research.

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 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.
 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.
 Give proper acknowledgement or credit for all contributions to
research.
 Never plagiarize.
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 Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources.
 Be open to criticism and new ideas.

 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.

 Respect for colleagues: Respect your colleagues and treat

them fairly.
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 Responsible Mentoring: Help to educate, mentor, and advise students.
 Promote their welfare and allow them to make their own
decisions.

 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.

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 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 study participants’ protection: When conducting research on

human study participants
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.

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CATASTROPHIC FAILURES DUE TO
UNETHICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH
PRACTICE (READING ASSIGNMENT)
Several high-profile engineering failures which can serve
as case studies for discussions on engineering research
ethics. A partial list of catastrophic engineering failures is
shown below:
1. Space Shuttle Challenger accident
2. Ford Pinto exploding gas tanks
3. Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse
4. Teton Dam failure
5. DC-10 multiple failures
Detailed discussions of some of these case studies are found
on website.
https://online-engineering.case.edu/blog/disastrous- 14
 ASSIGNMENT 1
1. Why is the scientific method superior to any other
sources of knowledge?
2. Define research as per your understanding and
discuss the key words in your definition.
3. *Discuss the distinction between the under-listed re
search categories by supporting with real-life
examples in your field of study.
Applied research and Pure research
Descriptive, Explanatory and Exploratory research
Qualitative and Quantitative research
Conceptual and Empirical research

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4. Discuss the terms inferential approach, experiment
and simulation in scientific research.
5. Discuss the effects of ethical and unethical
engineering research. Please support your answer by
giving at least real-life case studies which are highly
related to your field of study.

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