
Unit 4: Ethics
Research ethics: Informing participants 2
- The time commitment expected from participants
- The right to decline to offer any particular information requested by the researcher
- The opportunity to withdraw from the study at any time with no adverse consequences
- The opportunity to have any supplied data destroyed on request
(up to a specified date)
- Details of any risks associated with participation
- If appropriate, a statement that payment for time and inconvenience associated with participation will be given, without
specifying the amount or nature of the payment beyond the
repayment of expenses such as travel costs
- The name and contact details of the Principal Investigator
- The name and contact details of another person who can receive enquiries about any matters which cannot be satisfactorily resolved with the Principal Investigator
- Details of any insurance indemnity for the research
- Any debriefing that is planned
- How the data will be used and planned outcomes
- Potential benefits of the research
- How the results of the research will be made available to participants
Which of these headings are appropriate, and the extent of
information given under each, will depend on the nature of the
research. The language should be clear and accessible to people with
limited literacy, using short words and sentences, written in the active
voice, and avoiding the use of technical terms.
Give enough time for potential participants to absorb
and consider the information about the research and what is
expected of their participation before they are asked to make a decision about it.
SMILE - Ethics by The BPS code of human research ethics, The HPC guidance on conduct and ethics for students, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf, http://www.gcal.ac.uk/hr/policies/general/code_of_good_practice_in_research.doc, http://www.gcu.ac.uk/registry/secretariat/documents/EthicsBookletMarch2011asonwebsite.doc. .