Theme: Ensuring Trustworthy, Responsible, and Rigorous Research Practices
Duration: 1 week (self-paced)
Level: MA / MSc / PhD Preparation
Format: Fully self-contained lesson for independent study
🔷 9.1 Purpose of This Module
This module provides essential knowledge for conducting research ethically and ensuring that your results are valid, credible, and trustworthy. You’ll learn how to manage risk, obtain consent, protect data, and establish validity criteria for both qualitative and quantitative work.
By the end, you will be able to:
- Understand and apply the core principles of research ethics
- Identify and plan for ethical risks in your own study
- Define validity, reliability, and trustworthiness
- Apply appropriate strategies to improve research quality
- Recognise ethical review processes and approval requirements
⚖️ 9.2 What Is Research Ethics?
Research ethics refers to the standards of conduct that guide researchers in protecting participants, ensuring honesty, and upholding the dignity and integrity of academic work.
✅ Key Ethical Principles:
| Principle | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Informed Consent | Participants freely agree with full understanding | Giving clear info sheets and consent forms |
| Voluntary Participation | No coercion; withdrawal is allowed | Students can leave study without penalty |
| Confidentiality | Private info is kept secure and anonymous | Removing names from transcripts |
| Non-Maleficence | Avoid physical, emotional, or reputational harm | Avoiding trauma reactivation during interviews |
| Right to Withdraw | Participants can exit at any time | Making this clear in consent forms |
| Integrity & Transparency | Truthful, accurate, and honest conduct | Not fabricating or selectively reporting data |
📜 9.3 Common Ethical Risks and Scenarios
| Situation | Ethical Risk | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Interviewing trauma survivors | Emotional distress | Have counselling referral options ready |
| Surveying minors | Power imbalance | Obtain guardian consent and ethical board approval |
| Observing classrooms | Consent from students and teachers | Anonymise data and get written consent |
| Using social media posts | Public/private boundary | Avoid identifiable quotes; check platform rules |
| Offering payment | Undue influence | Keep payments small and token-based only |
🗂 9.4 Ethics in Practice: Planning for Approval
✅ What You Need for Ethical Review:
- Clear research aim and design
- Recruitment and consent strategy
- Sample information sheet and consent form
- Risk assessment
- Data storage and handling plan
- Explanation of how harm will be minimised
✅ Examples of Ethical Application (MA/MSc):
- Interviewing postgraduate students about burnout: low risk but emotionally sensitive
- Analysing publicly available tweets on digital activism: medium risk; anonymise sources
- Running an experiment on attention span: low risk but requires informed consent
📊 9.5 What Is Validity and Why Does It Matter?
Validity refers to the truthfulness, accuracy, and trustworthiness of your findings. It ensures that your results actually reflect what you intended to study.
✅ For Quantitative Research:
| Term | Meaning | Example Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Validity | Are results due to your intervention, not other factors? | Use control groups and randomisation |
| External Validity | Can findings generalise to other contexts? | Use large, representative samples |
| Construct Validity | Are you measuring what you claim to measure? | Pilot questionnaires; use validated scales |
| Reliability | Are results consistent and replicable? | Use test-retest or inter-rater reliability checks |
✅ For Qualitative Research:
| Term | Equivalent to Validity | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Credibility | Internal validity | Member checking, peer debriefing |
| Transferability | External validity | Thick description of context and participants |
| Dependability | Reliability | Documented audit trail of decisions |
| Confirmability | Objectivity | Reflexive journaling, transparency in analysis |
🧠 9.6 Trust-Building Strategies for Your Own Study
✅ In Quantitative Research:
- Pre-test your survey (pilot study)
- Use standardised instruments
- Document all procedures and calculations
- Clearly define variables and sampling frames
- Avoid leading or biased questions
✅ In Qualitative Research:
- Keep reflexive field notes
- Code data with transparency (label quotes, use audit trail)
- Let participants review interview transcripts (“member checking”)
- Acknowledge your positionality as a researcher
- Describe the setting and participants in rich detail
🛠 9.7 Self-Learning Task Set (Independent Exercises)
✍️ TASK 1: Ethical Risk Identification
Write a short paragraph (~150 words) on your proposed study:
- What could go wrong ethically?
- Who might be vulnerable?
- How will you minimise these risks?
Example:
My study involves interviews with international students about cultural adjustment. Risks include emotional distress when recounting negative experiences and language misunderstandings. I will use clear, translated consent forms and allow participants to skip any questions. I will also offer contact info for free mental health services.
🧾 TASK 2: Draft a Consent Form Outline
Include the following sections in your consent form (write in plain language):
- Purpose of the study
- What participants will do
- Risks and benefits
- Voluntary nature and right to withdraw
- Confidentiality assurances
- Contact info for questions
✅ Use bullet points and keep it under one A4 page
📊 TASK 3: Validity Strategy Table
List three specific validity risks in your study and how you will address them.
| Risk | Validity Threat | Your Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Misunderstood survey questions | Construct validity | Pilot test with 10 peers |
| Researcher bias in interviews | Confirmability | Use reflexive journaling |
| Overgeneralising from small sample | External validity | Be cautious in conclusions; explain limits |
📋 TASK 4: Reflect on Trustworthiness
Write a brief statement (150–200 words):
- How will you ensure your findings are trustworthy?
- What methods will you use to increase credibility, confirmability, or dependability?
Example Output:
To ensure trustworthiness, I will transcribe interviews fully, code them transparently, and keep a reflexive journal documenting decisions. I will invite 2 participants to review and confirm summaries of their responses (member checking). I will also discuss interpretations with peers to reduce bias.
🧠 9.8 Summary of Key Takeaways
- Ethics ensures participant dignity, data protection, and researcher accountability
- You must plan, assess, and justify your approach to consent, risk, and data handling
- Validity and reliability ensure your research is credible and rigorous
- Use paradigm-appropriate strategies for quality: objectivity in quantitative studies, trustworthiness in qualitative
- Ethical approval is not optional in academic settings—it reflects integrity and professionalism
✅ End-of-Module Self-Evaluation Checklist
| Concept | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| I understand core ethical principles and risks | ☐ |
| I wrote an ethical risk paragraph and consent form outline | ☐ |
| I listed validity threats and strategies | ☐ |
| I reflected on how to ensure trustworthiness | ☐ |
| I can explain how ethics and validity strengthen research | ☐ |