Ethics in Relation to Research - Part 2: Education

Education has the potential to play a significant role in ethics. There have been few to no courses in research ethics in political science departments due to the belief that students do not learn ethical aspirations through profession-ethics courses. Some assume that those who are ethically righteous act accordingly because of their morals. Those who commit misconduct are “fools,” as only a fool would try to cheat the system. This theory, known as the “bad apple” theory, posits that if one is “morally corrupt,” then no ethics course would not change their morals. On the contrary, according to Robert Reich and David D. Laitin, “the requirement to take such a course sends a clear signal to new and aspiring scientists”: that the course encourages good behavior and sets a new standard for ethical conduct. 

Even with ethics courses, applying ethics in research is difficult in many ways. At the heart of merit-based evaluation is peer-reviewing, which allows researchers to identify certain errors. However, large data files complicate the assessment and evaluation process, making it a formidable challenge to submit work that is error-free. Researchers are also given the opportunity to provide negative feedback for their own benefit of using the data for themselves, taking away the original researcher’s rights. Peer-reviewing is an easy system to cheat, with many aberrations occuring due to no thought given to ethical norms. 

However, there are possible solutions to this given dilemma. Studies have shown that amongst research organizations, scholars strive to follow and understand ethical values if rewarded and those who do not adhere to these standards are punished. Researchers and employees show higher moral standards when their organization have the same expectation (Erwin 2011).

References: 

Abdul Rahman S, Hussin N, Kamal JIA, Noh NM, Abdullah SNM, Amin ZM. The Challenges in Implementation of Ethics in Organization. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences [Internet]. 2020 Nov 28;10(11). Available from: https://hrmars.com/papers_submitted/8195/the-challenges-in-implementation-of-ethics-in-organization.pdf 

What Is Ethics in Research & Why Is It Important? [Internet]. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Available from: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis#:~:text=Many%20of%20the%20deviations%20that 

Laitin DD, Reich R. Trust, Transparency, and Replication in Political Science. PS: Political Science & Politics. 2017 Jan;50(01):172–5.n 

Ethical Research | [Internet]. Available from: https://www.epigeum.com/courses/research/research-skills-toolkit/ethical-research/ 

‌

‌

‌