Ethics Today

Today in class we went over Ethics involving research. It's a great code to follow when conducting an experiment not only for you as a the researcher but also for the participant. They are as follows...

1. All the participants in a study must agree to do the study.

I believe the easiest way for you to make sure they agree to the study is to have them sign a waiver. This is very common in all studies done today.

2. A participant must be allowed to withdraw from a study at any time.

This one is easy enough. The participants are volunteers and should be able to withdraw from anything whether they don't feel comfortable anymore or just don't want to do it.

We also talked about awards and that if there is an award for participating in a study or experiment they should be entitled to something even if they withdraw from the study.

A participant should never be punished for withdrawing.

3. Participants must understand what they are volunteering for.

Basically, they need to know everything that is about to take place.

4. The research may not harm an individual.

This includes in any way .... physically, psychologically etc. No one should be harmed.

5. EVERYTHING you receive from the volunteers must remain CONFIDENTIAL!!!!

Just like a visit to the doctor.... it needs to remain confidential. This is very important and you must protect it.

The Code of Ethics found on the PRSSA website is a great guideline to follow.

The Golden Rule was something that we were taught as kids. In a nutshell.... Treat others as you want to be treated. This goes along with ethics, too. It's a great guideline to live by!