Ethics in research refers to the acceptable conduct principles that need to be followed. Considering the importance of ethical consideration particularly in research, experts in the field have developed policies and codes which must be adhere to by all researchers for common benefit. Professionals need to understand that they are obliged to respect the dignity as well as right of the participants in their survey. These kind of ethical guidelines are aligned together with the research to ensure participants abide by the stated moral rules and principles of conduct.
Informed consent, participants protection debriefing, confidentiality and withdrawal right of the participants are some of the most common ethical guidelines that need to be followed by all research experts (Hillyard & Tombs, 2021). Ethics in research is important since it broaden the survey knowledge to the participants and upholds values which results to more collaboration as well as mutual respect among the involved individuals (Hillyard & Tombs, 2021). Researchers are always held accountable for any ethical violation, hence they work to ensure trust among the public for the information they produce. In addition, ethical principles are significant as they emphasize more on the social, economic and scientific validity of the research. Informed consent is one of the most essential principles as it gives participants room to participate or not. Partakers in any given study are granted this specific right to make their individual decision on whether to participate further with the study.
Criminological research is faced with multifaceted ethical issues that range from confidentiality, questions, deceptions, and plagiarisms on any field of study. A perfect example of an exclusive ethical impasse in the field of criminology is evidenced where surveyor is required to appear in the capacity of expert witness (Ngozwana, 2018). Other areas that pose greatest dilemma include provision of answers that revolve around expert qualification, monetary compensation and interpretation. These kind of ethical dilemmas tend to occur in the event of neglected inquiry. Abandonment in this case occurs due to funding restriction and at times as a result of perceived overtones of bias and racial discrimination. Moreover, research in the field of criminology is faced with challenge of distinguishing roles of advocate and experts. In this case, the major challenge comes in differentiating facts and generalities when testifying. On the other hand, the issue of homeland security has raised great concern in criminology research. In the current political environment, upholding homeland security without undesirable compromise of individual freedom and right has become one of the most challenging tasks in the field of criminology.
Considering the institutional review body in charge of research validation, the body level of trustworthiness needs to be put in question. This is due to increased level of individuals’ concerned biased interest, political interference and financial limitation. It is important to recognize the fact that some of the committee members that form the body are likely to be driven by their individual interest which interferes with the entire body performance (Ngozwana, 2018). On the other hand, some of the state policies are likely to influence the performance of the body alongside lack of sufficient funds which tend to limit their desired quality achievements.
Responding on the issue presented on ethics and topic selection, it is evidently impossible to establish which research data has political interferences due to biasness of reporting institutions. On the other hand, most of the researchers are unlikely to disclose their funding sources. For this reason, it is impossible to establish the motive behind any presented research information. In addition, distribution of research report to the society does not necessarily result to proper utilization due to differing understanding levels of users.
References
Hillyard, P., & Tombs, S. (2021). Beyond criminology? In The Palgrave Handbook of Social Harm (pp. 11-36). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Ngozwana, N. (2018). Ethical dilemmas in qualitative research methodology: Researcher’s reflections. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 4(1), 19-28.