Ethical Decision-Making in Social Research

This practical, user-friendly book is an invaluable guide to ethical decision-making in social research. Offering support and guidance throughout the research process - from designing research proposals and submitting them for ethical scrutiny to anticipating ethical dilemmas that might arise whilst research is being planned, conducted and reported - this is an essential companion for all professional researchers navigating the growing demands for ethical practice.

Central to the book is a unique 'ethical review checklist', which guides ethical thinking at each stage of a research project. The checklist helps researchers to anticipate harms and benefits at the outset of a project, but also supports ongoing monitoring of ethical concerns throughout the life of a project - be it conducted by an individual, research group or commissioning body. Further features include a template for developing a robust research proposal, a glossary of terms and a list of useful websites. The book also draws extensively on case studies of ethical decision making, grounding moral problems in real-life examples. This paperback edition includes a new afterword and a risk matrix to be used in conjunction with the ethical review checklist.

Written in an accessible and readable style to appeal to a range of needs, this guide provides much-needed practical advice to supplement the ethical codes and guidelines offered by professional associations in the social sciences, and is based on insight and understanding of the moral problems that social researchers routinely confront.