Читать книгу Our Social World - Kathleen Odell Korgen - Страница 98

What happens if a scientist conducts research that has negative impacts on the participants? It is due to this concern that most universities and other research organizations, especially those receiving public money, have human subjects review boards. The boards review the proposed research plans and methods to be sure they will not hurt the subjects. Of special concern are research projects in medical sciences, but social scientists must also have their research reviewed.

Sociologists and other scientists are bound by the ethical codes of conduct governing research. The American Sociological Association (ASA) code of ethics outlines standards that researchers are expected to observe when doing research, teaching, and publishing. They include

 explaining the uses and consequences of the research and gaining informed consent from respondents;

 taking steps to ensure the privacy of respondents;

 being objective, reporting findings and sources fully;

 making no promises to respondents that cannot be honored;

 accepting no support that requires violation of these principles;

 completing contracted work; and

 delineating responsibilities in works with multiple authors.

Examples of unethical research include studying people without their knowledge or consent, including only data that support the results you would like to see, and violating the confidentiality of your subjects by revealing their identities. The bottom line is that researchers must do everything they can to protect their subjects from harm.

Thinking Sociologically

Distinguish the differences in each of these approaches to gathering data in sociology and identify a potential ethical problem in each approach:

 experiments

 observational studies

 interviews

 questionnaires

 content analysis

 secondary analysis