Postgraduate's Guide to Research Ethics

Drawing together the philosophical principles of research and the application of ethical theories to real-life case studies, this text provides a complete start-to-finish guide to research ethics for postgraduate researchers of all subject areas. It begins with a brief survey of ethical theories, before showing readers how to construct an ethics proposal. It then goes on to examine ethical issues as they relate to various methodologies, including interviews, participant observation, focus groups and questionnaires. Key themes such as online research, privacy and confidentiality and the involvement of children and vulnerable populations in research are also covered. The book concludes with a chapter addressing ethical issues which may arise once the research has been completed. Chapters are enriched and enlivened with case studies, 'ethical perspectives' boxes and 'ask yourself' questions for readers to consider.This text will be an invaluable source of guidance on the ethics application process and ethical issues in research for all postgraduate researchers.