Download Ethics in Qualitative Research

Leeds
Social
Sciences
Institute
Ethics in Qualitative Research
Jennifer Mason
Leeds Social Sciences Institute
University of Leeds
The Changing Context
• Increasing recognition of importance of
ethical implications of research
(quantitative and qualitative)
• Potential for increasingly ‘invasive’
research
• Professionalisation of research - training
and skills
• Increasingly regulatory and legalistic
culture
C. Stuart:
C. Stuart:
which were not
designed to
assure the ethics
of research
Some issues for qualitative
research in a regulatory culture
• The problem of minimum or inappropriate
standards
• How to engender morally responsible day to
day research practice?
• How to generate resources to support moral
research practice?
• How to work with abstract and
individualistic frameworks, that were not
designed to further research ethics.
Extracts from ESDS Access and
Preservation
(a) on copyright in semi-structured
interviews
‘The speaker holds the copyright in the
spoken word. Transcription of the words
on paper or computer is protected by
copyright and owned by the person
making the transcription. If the
transcription is a substantial
reproduction of the words spoken, the
speaker will own copyright in the words
and a separate copyright will apply to the
transcription. This is of particular
relevance to the recording of in-depth
interviews. This also applies to a
recording on tape or video. The person
making the recording will own the
copyright in the words. Copyright can
only be transferred in writing and signed
by the person making the transfer. This
document is called an assignment. If
researchers wish to publish large extracts
from an interview, it is advisable to
obtain a transfer of copyright’.
www.esds.ac.uk/aandp/create/copyright
Extracts from ESDS Access and
Preservation
(b) on confidentiality and consent
‘It is important to demonstrate the
agreement on confidentiality by
obtaining written consent from
participants for the use of the
information in the present research and
for archiving’
www.esds.ac.uk/aandp/create/confidentia
lity.
Relationality - a core issue in
family and kinship research
• informed consent, and rights to participate
and withdraw
• confidentiality and anonymity
Finding effective ways to
proceed
• Identifying the issues and recognising your
own and other positions and interests
• Identifying the relationship and disjunction
between regulatory frameworks and ‘the
issues’ and interests
• Work on filling the gaps and reframing the
issues (as well as ticking the boxes)