Ethics are guidelines, rules or principles that relate to the conduct of people.
For a general introduction to the concept of ethics, watch a video from the University of Texas ‘Ethics Unwrapped’ series .
Research ethics applies to the conduct of the entire research process from conceptualization, to research in the field, to the analysis, writing and dissemination of research results. The function of research ethics is to protect research participants and researchers from harm, and ensure the integrity and quality of the research process and outputs.
There are different principles of research ethics that apply to different types of research. Research ethics has a particularly important role to play in the conduct of research involving human beings.
There are different approaches to research ethics. These include:
A combination of these approaches may be necessary to meet the various challenges encountered in the research process.