Research Ethics - Informed Consent Form

"All social research (whether using surveys, documents, interviews or computer-mediated communication) gives rise to a range of ethical issues around privacy, informed consent, anonymity, secrecy, being truthful and the desirability of the research. It is important, therefore, that you are aware of these issues and how you might respond to them." (Blaxter, et al, 2006, p178)

If you are doing any form of research, then it is imperative that you do (and are seen to - mention this in your Methodology chapter if appropriate) take care to safeguard the health and dignity of those involved in your study.

You must make sure that you take steps to...:

• Get the consent of participants - they must know what they are involved in, why, and what will happen next.
• Treat the participants and their answers fairly.
• Ensure the confidentiality of results (making them anonymous if necessary).

Click here to download an examplar "Ethics Consent Form" that you can use adapt or use when carrying out your own field work. Don't forget to file these carefully and keep them until after the end of your research in case any issues arise later. Also, importantly, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states that anyone has the right to see any information that you, as researcher, record about them.

More information and guidance for writing extended projects is available in the "Dissertations" folder here.

Other useful quotations about Research Ethics are available here.

Hughes, Christina; and Tight, Malcolm (2006) How to research London: Open University Press.