Chapter Checklists

As a consumer of research, you should be able to

1. Raise ethical questions about the research reports you read
2. Be able to identify any potential physical or psychological harms that participants might have endured and how those risks might have affected their responses
3. Read an informed consent form and ask the researcher questions about the research procedures described
4. Proceed with research procedures, including videotaping and audiotaping, only if you feel comfortable in doing so
5. Read a research report for any possible breaches of ethics or integrity on the part of the researcher

As a researcher, you should be able to

1. Address potential ethical issues during the design phase of the research project
2. Explain how your research project minimizes risk and enhances benefits to participants
3. Find alternative research procedures to avoid physical or psychological harm to participants
4. Design a research project that demonstrates beneficence, respect for persons, and justice
5. Follow procedures and guidelines required by your university's institutional review board
6. Determine the content for and write an informed consent form that is understandable by participants
7. Use deception and confederates only if other alternatives are not available and only if these practices do not cause undue harm for participants
8. Devise data collection procedures that maintain participants' confidentiality and anonymity
9. Understand any risks associated with videotaping and audiotaping participants' interactions
10. Provide an adequate debriefing for research participants
11. Ensure the accuracy of data and findings
12. Write a research report that does not plagiarize the work of others
13. Write a description of research participants in such a way as to conceal their identities