Ethics of Research in Social Sciences

Abstract

Nowadays research ethics became an important issue in social sciences. The main aims of this article are to acknowledge that there are many ethical issues that can arise through different research stages, to raise sensitivity for ethical questions, and to help researchers resolving ethical dilemmas using more reflective approaches. Various ethics questions are discussed: How to protect interests and needs of those taking part in a study; which are the main areas of ethical concern associated with research? Main cornerstones of ethical research practice concerning research participants are presented: principle of voluntary participation, confidentiality, principle of anonymity, issue of informed consent, issue of balancing research benefits with risks and harm. The origin, historical initiatives of ethical regulation of research practice, and the development of major ethical codes and frameworks are briefly described.