Lesson Summary

There is a long history of the violations of human rights by researchers. Over time, principles and rules were formulated to prevent such violations from happening. These principles and rules led cumulatively to the creation of the current rules by the U.S. federal government (“Common Rule”) in 1991. These rules regulate researchers' conduct to make sure that research participants’ rights are respected, they are informed about the goals and procedures of research projects, the benefits and costs of a research project are distributed fairly, and research participants are selected fairly.

In brief, when conducting a research project, ask five questions before you start collecting your data:

• Is there harm to participants?
• Are they sufficiently informed and their consent for participation obtained?
• Is their privacy invaded?
• Is there deception involved in the research project? If so, is it justified?
• Are research participants selected based on scientific principles? Are there any fairness issues in selecting them?

There are other ethical issues a researcher should be concerned about when conducting a study. The following ethical questions should be asked.

Have you conducted the study ethically, keeping the following issues in mind?

• Trimming
• Cooking
• Forging
• Plagiarism
• Recognizing contributions and authorship

Plagiarism is a particularly important issue. Have you taken enough precautions to make sure that in your presentation of the results of your study (e.g., writing a paper) none of the following has occurred?

• Word-for-Word Plagiarizing
• Plagiarizing by Paraphrase
• Mosaic Plagiarism