Research Ethics: Informed Consent and Confidentiality Analysis

This essay examines the critical ethical considerations in social science research, with a specific focus on informed consent and confidentiality. The introduction highlights the importance of ethical practices in research, emphasizing the need for participant awareness and agreement. The main body delves into the concept of informed consent, detailing its two stages: providing information and obtaining consent. It also explains confidentiality as the protection of sensitive information, stressing the researcher's obligation and the participant's right to privacy. The essay compares informed consent and confidentiality, highlighting their roles in safeguarding participant rights and data integrity. The conclusion reiterates the significance of these ethical principles, underscoring their importance in ensuring responsible and trustworthy research practices. This assignment is a valuable resource for students studying research methods and ethics, offering insights into best practices and the protection of human subjects. Students can find similar resources, including past papers and solved assignments, on Desklib to further their understanding of research methodologies and ethical guidelines.

Introduction to Social
Science Research

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Confidentiality ethical consideration of research...................................................................4
Comparing informed consent and confidentiality ethical consideration of research.............4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Ethical considerations are very crucial while performing a practical research work. There
are different studies that have focussed on making a comparison with the informed consent and
the aspect of confidentiality in a research work. Present report is based on the expansion of
research plan that is based on making a evaluation of the way essay is focussing on the ethical
considerations associated with research (Surmiak, 2018). There is analysis of the concept of
informed consent and confidentially that is to be considered by research in course of research
work. Further there is comparison between these two concept & its application in a particular
research.
MAIN BODY
Informed consent:
Informed consent is the founding principles of a research ethics. The intent is human
participation are able to enter a research freely with complete information and they are given
consent before entering the research. Consent has to be obtained before the participant is entering
the research. The minimum requirement is to inform the participant about the research. It si
generally divided in two basic stages:
Stage 1: It is associated with giving information. The person is reflecting on the information
given and they are under no pressure to response the researcher immediately.
Stage 2: Obtaining consent: In this stage researcher reiterates the research terms as separate
bullet points and clauses. The person is agreeing to provide explicit consent of each term before
they are agreeing to participate in the whole project (Goodrich and Luke, 2017).
Researcher have to agree that they are complying with General data protection regulation
(GDPR) during & after the consent process in case if there is collection of a sensitive or personal
data in the course of completion of research work (Informed consent, 2020).
Informed consent ethical consideration of researched consent is demonstrating the
individuals who are actually the part of a research work. Informed consent is reflecting the legal
capacity of individual to give consent. It is related with the able to exercise free power of choice
without the presence of any type of intervention that is element of deceit, fraud, force, over
reacting, duress and other form of coercion and constraint. There is need of sufficient

comprehension and knowledge of all the elements that are part of the research. The person who
is participating has to develop a detail understand of the duration, nature and purpose of this
experiment so that all the associated discomforts and risks are reasonably expected and the effect
on the health from their participation can be timely evaluated (Pezaro, Clyne and Gerada, 2018)
There is sometimes misconception that informed consent document & the informed consent
process are the same things. But informed consent document is part of the informed consent
process. It is a ongoing process and not a piece of paper.
Confidentiality ethical consideration of research
Confidentiality is a concept that is relatd to information restricted to only authorised
person who posses access to use it. Access restriction is one aspect of confidentiality.
Researchers assurance to research subject is also very important. The strictness of confidentiality
increases with the amount of sensitivity of information. In social sciences it is a critical aspects
that is related with the way information is used in the course of research. Confidentiality is the
relationship that exists between the research subject and the researcher where it is the obligation
of the researcher & right of research subject (Artal and Rubenfeld, 2017). Respect for each
individual is also kept in mind because personal data can be easily misused. In absence if misuse
there can be negative impact if sensitive information is astray. Breach of confidentiality can lead
to undermining of credibility and trust that is part of a research. The wide preservative is breach
of confidence.
The difficulties that are associated with confidentiality is varying according to substantivally
depending on research nature, in case of some research it can be less controllable conditions.
Keeping of the sensitive data as a secret is also a challenge such as while conducting the research
communities may be small that outsiders require little information to evaluate who they are
referring.
Comparing informed consent and confidentiality ethical consideration of research
Confidentiality is a aspects that extends beyond giving informed consent. Some of the
professional groups posses a obligation to protect the person who are part of a contract that is
extending beyond the signed consent (Cocanour, 2017). Confidential & anonymity are regarded
as the ethical practises that are designed for protecting the human subjects privacy while the
information is collected, analysed and further interpreted. It is regarded as the separating and
modification of the personal information that is provided by participants from the existing data,.

Where as
Informed consent is regarded as the process of communication that takes place between the
health care provider and a person that leads to a agreement of permission of treatment, services
and care. In this each patient has the right to get information before any procedures. In this case
the investigators are expected to obtain a signature from the participant in form if a written
consent document (Manti and Licari, 2018). It is a prices that consist of providing the agreeing
of the person to inform all the prospective participants.

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above discussed information that is informed consent and
confidentiality are the two major aspects that are to be taken into consideration by the researcher
in the course of every research work. Inform consent is very critical as it is related to taking
permission of the respondents before staring of a research work. Confidentiality is related the
way information is protected from getting misused or for any other purpose apart from the laid
objectives in the beginning of research. Both of these components are extremely crucial and have
to be considered by researcher in every research work.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Surmiak, A.D., 2018, September. Confidentiality in qualitative research involving vulnerable
participants: Researchers' perspectives. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum:
Qualitative Social Research (Vol. 19, No. 3).
Goodrich, K.M. and Luke, M., 2017. Ethical issues in the research of group work. The Journal
for Specialists in Group Work, 42(1), pp.108-129.
Pezaro, S., Clyne, W. and Gerada, C., 2018. Confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty for
midwives in distress seeking online support–Ethical?. Nursing ethics, 25(4), pp.481-504.
Artal, R. and Rubenfeld, S., 2017. Ethical issues in research. Best Practice & Research Clinical
Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 43, pp.107-114.
Cocanour, C.S., 2017. Informed consent—It's more than a signature on a piece of paper. The
American Journal of Surgery, 214(6), pp.993-997.
Manti, S. and Licari, A., 2018. How to obtain informed consent for research. Breathe, 14(2),
pp.145-152.
Online:
Informed consent, 2020[online], Available
through<https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/resources/consent>
Informed Consent Guidelines & Templates, 2018 [online], Available through<https://research-
compliance.umich.edu/informed-consent-guidelines>