Ethical Issues in Social Research, Essay Example

Ethical considerations in the recent years have occupied a central part in research work especially in social science. Most researchers are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of the ethical considerations that have almost become legal requirements when conducting any research in social science. Likewise, there is also increased public concern on the ethical issues especially on the responsibilities of major companies that are involved in major social researches. In response, many organizations today are involved in activities that help portray their social responsibilities mainly achieved through factoring the views of the public through their customer relation strategies.

Ethical consideration arise when individuals become aware of the consequences of their activities on the lives of others and finding ways that the negative impacts of the actions can be addressed. This is though the search of appropriate ways that the negative impacts of such activity can be reversed or ways that such activities can be executed in ways that are in harmony with ways of lives of its publics.

Social work demands that individuals work not only within their own home backgrounds but also in areas that they are new. Social researchers today work in areas with different, cultural, economic, legal and political backgrounds that in a way or the other may affect their research work. These different backgrounds provide special research procedures and techniques in the different fields of social work such as medicine, sociology, psychology and economics. These specific research requirements in a given location are in addition to the research requirements that are provided by each field in social work some of which may be universal. The ethical issues that emerge in social researches are avoided through application of ethical standards set by social research associations all over the world. They provide guidelines to their members on ways that they can handle their researches in the most ethical ways.

The major ethical issues or ethical requirements of social research require that individuals need not to be forced to participate in any social research. Individual participation in social research should be on voluntary basis. In the past, many institutions would have forced their members to participate in a social research. Today, even before an individual decides to participate in any social research, they are entitled to the right of knowing the possible consequences or uses of such research outcomes. They should always be able to make their decisions on participating in the social research from an informed point of view. The participants must be informed of the procedures of the research and also the possible risks that may arise. Such is the case especially when conducting medical researches on use of drugs especially by pharmaceutical companies when developing or testing for the effectiveness of a given drug. As almost compulsory requirement of ethical standards, social researchers are expected not to knowingly subject the participants in their researches to any form of harm, be it physical or psychological.

Most social researches involve the use of very personal information. Ethical standards require that the privacy of any individual who participates in any social research should be guaranteed. This is because some social research outcomes may lead to an individual being subjected to some form of discrimination whenever their privacy is revealed. In most cases, the identity of subjects or participants of social research remains confidential also to those who are carrying out the research in some instances. The subjects are treated in anonymity prior to and after the research is conducted. Although most social researches indicate that private information in their research is kept confidential, it does not mean necessarily mean that such information has been kept anonymous. The data in most cases still is in the hands of the social researcher who can choose to manipulate and use the material in any way that they wish. Such ethical issues in social researches have been the subject of debate in many social research committees who in are interested in providing ways that the privacy of the participants can totally be guaranteed.

Ethical consideration refers to all the requirements that are checked by social researchers before embarking on their research to avoid the ethical issues that emerge in social researches. The social research guidelines always help social researchers avoid the ethical issues in social researches. Key among them is documentations which gives them (social researchers) the right to carry out any social research. For example, before any social research commences, social researchers should have clearance from appropriate social research committees. They also have to acquire approval from the participants confirming their participation in the research. They should also provide ways that they are going to ensure the confidentiality of the participants of the research. Social researches also need to prove that the participants of their studies will not be subjected to any form of risk, be it legal, economic, social risk, and also medical risks.

In summary, there are many ethical issues that emerge in social research. Such issues can be avoided through proper structuring and planning of researches. The emergence of such issues can affect the accuracy and validity of any social research. Proper following of ethical guidelines will not only improve participation in the research but also improves the accuracy and validity of the research results