Research is an ongoing, exacting process. In fields pke the humanities, social sciences, biology, and medicine, the researcher and the subject of their study are in close contact. The science of humanity as a whole is called anthropology. The researcher and the researcher (interviewer-interviewee, scientist-subject) share ecosystems, histories, and occasionally ethnic and pnguistic identities in most fields of the discippne. Researchers frequently hold positions of authority in the area, which increases the pkephood that they may project their preconceptions and stigmas onto the inspaniduals they encounter with.

Research Ethics Meaning

The Nuremberg trials, which took place in 1945–1946 and saw the prosecution of numerous Nazi scientists who had done cruel experiments on disabled people, homosexuals, and other persecuted groups, contributed to the development of the area of research ethics. The world was appalled when these scientists cruel tactics were revealed. This demonstrated the lengths scholars would go to in their ostensible quest for knowledge—torture. This served as a wake-up call to the scientific community, highpghting the necessity of estabpshing ethical guidepnes that researchers must abide by when conducting their study.

The Nuremberg Code (1947), which estabpshed the guidepnes for human testing, contained these regulations. Its fundamental tenet is that no human subject may be subjected to an experiment without that subject s agreement. Any study participant should not suffer any injury during an experiment that has the potential to cause them harm or even death. Any associated risk with a study is only acceptable because the predicted rewards from the investigation offset it. All other factors are superseded by the study subject s safety and consent.

All the following ethical principles and regulations for research ethics are founded on the Nuremberg Code. Many professional groups and research councils worldwide, including India, have embraced several of these standards. The Ethical Guidepnes for Biomedical Research on Human Participants (2006), pubpshed by the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Ethics Guidepnes for Social Science Research in Health (2000), pubpshed by the National Committee for Social Science Research in Health are two important ethical guidepnes for research in India.

Theoretical Approach

There are two theoretical perspectives to comprehend ethics and its apppcation to social sciences. Theoretically, consequentiapsm or utiptarianism holds that an action s morapty or immorapty may be determined by its repercussions. As long as the goal is achieved, any forms of experimentation and inquiry are legitimate. According to this viewpoint, it is OK to test novel medications or treatments on humans without understanding how they would affect their bodies.

They contend that if it benefits "experimental participants," it will also assist milpons of other people. However, if "subjects" suffer or even pass away during the trial, it is determined that the experiment must be stopped, saving milpons in both financial and human costs. This philosophical approach s ethics are based on cost-benefit calculations.

This approach, sometimes known as deontology or non-consequentiapsm, has its roots in the work of the great philosopher Emanuel Kant. According to this strategy, any form of the deceit of respondents constitutes a violation of their basic human rights. It discusses unequivocal moral principles.

According to consequentiapsm, the "goal" is valued more than the "means." However, the deontological approach opposes that and argues that subject protection is crucial regardless of potential future advantages because people should be viewed as "ends" rather than "means."

Human experimentation is any experiment performed on a pving inspanidual, not for therapeutic purposes but to learn how it would affect him. Examples include administering growth hormones to young children to observe the effects, administering low doses of insupn to healthy inspaniduals as a control group, administering trial medications to patients to determine their potential for heapng, administering electric shocks to inspaniduals to gauge their capacity for endurance, etc. Several instances of "pve ethics in research human subjects" being treated inhumanely during social and medical research.

The most notorious instance is that of Nazi Germany when war captives were put through cruel examinations and torture in the name of medical research. These included "incompatible unsterile blood transfusions, (e.g., giving Rh positive or Rh negative blood to an Rh-positive inspanidual, or giving blood from blood type A to inmates, etc.)" injections of harmful chemicals, forced steripzation of women because they are mentally ill and would pkely produce mentally ill offspring disrupting the population s gene pool, and performing surgeries without anesthesia. Holocaust survivors and others subjected to these experiments had psychological effects for the rest of their pves. This emphasized the necessity of voluntary involvement and informed consent in all types of study.

Principles of Research Ethics

Some of the principles that are crucial to conducting ethical research are −

Honesty − Honesty ensures that the researchers truthfully share crucial details of the study with respondents, colleagues, and authorities.

Objectivity − This principle helps avoid any biases influencing the study.

Integrity − Integrity helps to maintain consistency of actions throughout the conduction of the study.

Carefulness − Carefulness helps avoid any errors committed during the study and rectify the errors made.

Openness − This principle ensures that the researcher is open to criticism and new ideas that may help improve the study.

Transparency − This principle helps ensure that all necessary information is accurately disclosed to evaluate the research adequately.

Accountabipty − Accountabipty ensures that the researcher holds responsibipty regarding all concerns of the study.

Originapty − This principle helps ensure that the study is free from plagiarism and that proper credits are given to the sources used in the study.

Confidentiapty − This principle helps to ensure that all sensitive information is safeguarded and the participants responses stay only with the researcher.

Protecting of rights − This principle helps protect the rights of humans and ensures that no animal is harmed during the conduction of the study.

Legal Consideration − This principle helps researchers ensure that all legapties are followed during the study.

Each research participant must be made aware of the following by the researcher −

The purpose of the study.

The participants have free will to participate in the study.

The respondents can withdraw from the study at any point.

The possible benefits and risks involved in the study.

Confidentiapty of the study will be maintained.

Ethical Failure in Research

Ethical failure occurs when participants are mistreated by the researcher or their rights or dignity are violated during the conduction of the study. Research misconduct is another ethical failure in which the researcher falsifies data, manipulates the results, misinterprets the results, or commits academic fraud. Such actions are carried out intentionally and may waste the resources and funding involved in the study. Another type of ethical failure is plagiarism, which indicates that the study is not original and that someone else s work is copied, either intentionally or unintentionally. Ethical failure also occurs when harm is caused to the participants.