Bit of a random question that I thought I'd ask. I'm working on my ethics for my research, which feels like plucking hen's teeth. Anyhoo, just thought I'd ask whether the ethical considerations for one's research can be written as a chapter? Probably seems obvious, but in some theses, I see it included as a section in the methodology only.

:-)

Hi,

I have included it in the methodology section, but my ethics were fairly straightforward. I just had to get clearance from the uni ethics board which i then included as an appendix.

not sure if that helps you or not!

Hi DrSeeker, my research is mixed methods, which has it's own ethical considerations, then there's the hairy fairly qualitative research and the quant. And I'm trying to show that I've taken a bioethical principalist approach to research with human participants and describe how I minimised all the potential risks for the different methods I used. Just seems a bit big for a single section. I hate writing :-(

Oh God, I hadn't even thought about that! I'd just been putting that it was all approved by the relevant ethics committee. Now you've got me thinking Wally....

Sorry not to have anything constructive to contribute, I do send my sympathies though as ethics apps are vile.

Hey! I haven't written up my thesis yet as I'm only in second year, but I was planning to just write a section in the methodology relating to ethics and just put the forms in the appendix. I am working with people with Alzheimer's so have had to go through NHS ethics etc and deal with all sorts of difficult issues, but the other people on my team who have finished their theses who have also worked with people with dementia have just written it up as part of the methodology. I would see what your supervisor reckons I think! KB

Thanks Keenbeen - maybe I'm looking into it too much. I could do a separate PhD on the ethics alone - it's crazy stuff. I expect that working with Alzheimer's patients, you will be conducting sensitive research with vulnerable patients, like me. It means that all the standard risks and ethical considerations with qual and quan research are exacerbated. Anyway, I digress :$ I'll get it written up and fire it off to my sups and see what they think

Btw, I haven't written up mine yet! I'm trying to write is as a continue to collect and analyse data. I've got about 8 months left and soooooooooo much to do.

Do we really need to include the whole ethics form in an appendix? I don't really want to out mine in as the aims of the study (as listed on original ethics form) have somewhat not been achived and I don't necessarily want my examiners to know that!

Yeah Wal, I have the whole 'vulnerable patient' thing going on, and some people with Alzheimer's are unable to consent for themselves to take part in the research, which is a nightmare in terms of ethics! Apparently an ethics committee down south somewhere ( I forget which county!) are now refusing to permit any research at all that involves people with Alzheimer's because they believe that the ethical issues are insurmountable for this population. Crazy really. I'm not sure if the whole form would go in the appendix or just the ethical approval letter to be honest...for my MSc I put in the whole ethics form but that was only School ethics, and my NHS ethics form is about 30 times as long! Will ask others in the department what they have done when I get the chance! KB

Keenbeen, I have used the following boot for my research ethics and have found it extremely helpful:

Undertaking Sensitive
Research in the Health
and Social Sciences
Managing Boundaries, Emotions and Risks
Virginia Dickson-Swift
La Trobe University, Australia
Erica Lyn James
University of Newcastle, Australia
Pranee Liamputtong
La Trobe

I've got an electronic copy of it that I can send you if you like - just PM me an I'll send it to you. Good luck with the ethics side of things. I can imagine it is harder than with my group of patients.

Catalin, I think it depends on your discipline. It sounds like Walminski and KB need to include some ethics in their methodology chapter, but others don't. I'm in social sciences, and none of my ethics is going into the final thesis. As you say, my aims have changed, among other things. Am still using the same methodology as I mentioned in my ethics, but am detailing this more in the thesis than was in the ethics.

So, for me, once I had ethics approval, I then promptly forgot all about the nasty experience.;-)

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I think I may have been following your line Sue - the memory of ethics is definitely one best forgotten :-s

This has given me food for thought though as I work with a vulnerable group and the ethics was a big deal. But I second the desire not to include the actual docs on the basis that only half of what was intended will actually have been achieved! That said, in my case ethics are put through for overall sample use, so I could easily brush the other aims off as having belonged to another project, could you maybe do the same Catalin?

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That sounds wicked, thanks Wal, will PM you. I have actually already got my NHS ethical approval through but would still be interested in having a look at it! Cheers, KB

I've written my ethics section finally - about 3,000 words in the end. There's a lot to think about but I developed a bioethical framework with which to approach it, paid particular attention to ethical matters with descriptive phenomenology (which basically says you're not allowed to use other formative theories - including ethics!) and conceded that there is no easy answer to adopting an ethical approach to mixed methods research. There isn't either - no-one has really looked at it. I had to conclude that I would have to remain pro-active towards identifying impromptu ethical issues as they arose and adaptive towards them.

Well done Walminski!! Excellent you got thru a nasty sounding piece of work! I have no idea what your last post means - you're talking a different langauge to me - but well done!