Ethical research principles: Documenting Latin American faculty perspectives through Q-sort

Abstract

The ethical principles in research are universal and serve as a humanizing guide throughout the research process. Their application requires keeping in mind the local health, socio-cultural, and economic conditions where research is conducted. Higher education institutions and researchers share the responsibility of ensuring application of ethical research principles in science, technology, and innovation activities. This article reports findings from a mixed methods study on the perspectives of university faculty regarding the application of research ethical principles to research endeavors. Utilizing a Q-method approach to capturing subjectivity, 52 faculty-researchers participated in an online Q-sort exercise which also included an open-ended questionnaire. The study looked at similarities and differences in viewpoints regarding the application of ethical research principles. The study research questions included: (1) what are the participants’ perspectives applying research ethical principles? (2) what are the similarities and differences in viewpoints when looking at the participants’ years of research experience, research ethics preparation, and field of expertise? This article presents the results analyzing the responses of the participating faculty researchers. Similarities and differences of their perspectives were documented by looking at years of research experience, research ethics background, and field of expertise. Study findings point to the need to offer more opportunities for training to better prepare experienced and less experienced researchers on how to anticipate and plan for ethical dilemmas that may arise while conducting research. Emerging and experienced researchers can benefit from such training and self-awareness. Keywords: Q-sort, Ethical Research, Ethical Dilemmas, Scientific Research, Faculty Perspectives.