Ethics of Research (EDIT 6900)

EDIT 6900
Lesson: Ethics of Research

10-16-07

Contents of this Lesson:

audiolesson
steps for moving forward (homework for Oct 27)

You will need:

mp3 file (see WebCT/6900/Audio)
Hint: open audiofile first. Next, open the outline. That way, I believe the mp3 player will work in the background and you'll be able to see this outline.

Note: You will be hearing a live recording from Sept 29, 2007 of the class session of EDIT 7340 when we discussed this topic. It lasts about 45 minutes.

Ethics of Research: the IRB (aka Human Subjects) Proposal Process

The reason why ethical research is crucial: Milgram's obedience experiments; Tuskegee Syphillis Study; Brown-eye Blue-eye/Jane Elliott
These social experiments all show the power of deception and have been famously controversial. (Results were not uniformly bad, however.)
Recent example on PBS: Great Britain, matchmaking agency, extensive experiments that did no obvious harm but people needed to know what they were getting into
Basic ethical principles

informed consent - participants and their parents (if minors)
risk - including public exposure; all kinds of possible harm; anonymous or confidential; relation to grades
distribution of benefit and burden: should not unfairly benefit one group over others
protection for vulnerable participants

The IRB process: Click here related materials. (Human Subjects; Guidelines; Applications). This site shows the enormity of the research enterprise at UGA - across all disciplines.
Class IRB Guidelines
Resource: Ethical Research from Fullerton (extensive!)
Bottom line: don't implement any elements of your project without my okay.
Questions?

(End of class session)
For EDIT 6900, luckily, you are not collecting data from research subjects. However, in your career as media specialist, you will be expected to make data-driven decisions. Therefore, it's critical that you understand what you can and cannot do to human beings in the name of research. We want you to have these basic ethical principles in your knowledge base.

Moving forward
You certainly have enough to do!

Critiques are due on Oct. 27. Submit to WebCT dropbox. (Need a review? See the Critiquing lesson.)
Work on your PPPs. It's appropriate that you still be searching for literature and reading it.
No other homework for Oct 27 besides the Critique.

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