Ethics in Qualitative Research

Jennifer Mason

Leeds Social Sciences Institute

University of Leeds

LeedsSocial SciencesInstitute

The Changing Context

• Increasing recognition of importance of ethical implications of research (quantitative and qualitative)

• Potential for increasingly ‘invasive’ research

• Professionalisation of research - training and skills

• Increasingly regulatory and legalistic culture

Some issues for qualitative research in a regulatory culture

• The problem of minimum or inappropriate standards

• How to engender morally responsible day to day research practice?

• How to generate resources to support moral research practice?

• How to work with abstract and individualistic frameworks, that were not designed to further research ethics.

C. Stuart:C. Stuart:C. Stuart:

which were not designed to assure the ethics of research

C. Stuart:

which were not designed to assure the ethics of research

Extracts from ESDS Access and Preservation

(a) on copyright in semi-structured interviews

‘The speaker holds the copyright in the spoken word. Transcription of the words

on paper or computer is protected by copyright and owned by the person

making the transcription. If the

transcription is a substantial reproduction of the words spoken, the

speaker will own copyright in the words and a separate copyright will apply to the

transcription. This is of particular relevance to the recording of in-depth

interviews. This also applies to a recording on tape or video. The person

making the recording will own the

copyright in the words. Copyright can only be transferred in writing and signed by the person making the transfer. This

document is called an assignment. If researchers wish to publish large extracts

from an interview, it is advisable to obtain a transfer of copyright’.

www.esds.ac.uk/aandp/create/copyright

Extracts from ESDS Access and Preservation

(b) on confidentiality and consent‘It is important to demonstrate the agreement on confidentiality by obtaining written consent from participants for the use of the

information in the present research and for archiving’

www.esds.ac.uk/aandp/create/confidentiality.

Relationality - a core issue in family and kinship research

• informed consent, and rights to participate and withdraw

• confidentiality and anonymity

Finding effective ways to proceed

• Identifying the issues and recognising your own and other positions and interests

• Identifying the relationship and disjunction between regulatory frameworks and ‘the issues’ and interests

• Work on filling the gaps and reframing the issues (as well as ticking the boxes)