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Ethical Thinking and Decision-Making in Practice

Date:

13/10/2015

Organised by:

Social Research Association

Presenter:

Dr Helen Kara

Level:

Entry (no or almost no prior knowledge)

Contact:

Lindsay Adams, 0207 998 0304; lindsay.adams@the-sra.org.uk

Map:

View in Google Maps  (EH1 2HS)

Venue:

Apex International Hotel, Grassmarket, Edinburgh (tbc)

Description:

Ethics is a complex, challenging subject with no right answers. Formal ethical approval helps in some ways, but not all research is subject to ethical review. Also, researchers continually meet ethical dilemmas in the course of their work, many of which cannot be foreseen or managed by formal ethical approval. It is essential that researchers are skilled in ethical thinking and ethical decision-making, and that they use these skills at every stage of the research process.

This course will help you to develop your skills in ethical thinking and ethical decision-making. It will equip you with tools and resources to prepare you to handle the myriad dilemmas you will encounter in your research practice.

The course is suitable for both inexperienced and experienced researchers who want to improve their skills in ethical thinking and decision-making. We will cover:

  • A brief overview of ethical and decision theories
  • Discussion of ethical aspects of research at all stages of the research process, from the first generation of ideas to the last piece of dissemination – and beyond
  • A detailed case study of real-world research in practice: what is ethical, questionable, and unethical
  • Exploration of ethical thinking and decision-making from different moral standpoints, and the difference they make
  • Any current ethical dilemmas you face, or past dilemmas you have faced, where you would like the group's input

Dr Helen Kara has been an independent researcher since 1999. She is the author of several articles and two books on research methods, most recently Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide which has a strong emphasis on research ethics. She has been ethics lead on the Board of the SRA since 2012, and has assisted the Academy of Social Sciences' initiative on research ethics https://acss.org.uk/developing-generic-ethics-principles-social-science/. Helen is Visiting Fellow at the National Centre for Research Methods.

Cost:

£260 but SRA members pay £195

Website and registration:

Region:

Scotland

Keywords:

Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination, Ethics

Related publications and presentations:

Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination

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