Embedding Ethical Principles in the Information Science Research Process

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-79
Author(s):  
Lorette Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
National Health ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Ethical Principles ◽  
Nuremberg Code ◽  
National Health Act

The chapter focuses on important aspects of ethics that will guide an information science researcher to consider ethics as an integral part of a successful research project. The Nuremberg Code, Belmont Report, and Declaration of Helsinki informed ethical principles and practices that are seen as internationally acceptable. Since the inception of the National Health Act 61 of 2003 in South Africa, which informs research practices related to all disciplines, ethics has become a mandatory part of the research process. However, applying ethical principles during research may, at times, be fraught with difficulties. Cultural diversity, transformation, and technological advancements expand the complexity of ethical issues that researchers should consider. It is important for prospective researchers to gain knowledge and understanding of the context of ethics and its application throughout the research process. Researchers are required to adhere to strict ethical principles related to respect, consent, beneficence, non-maleficence, confidentiality, and anonymity.

scholarly journals Rationalisation of Nursing Education in Limpopo province: Nurse educators’ perspectives

Curationis ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
T.R. Makhuvha ◽  
M. Davhana-Maselesele ◽  
V.O. Netshandama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nurse Educators ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Process Data ◽  
The Government

Nursing education institutions are facing a challenge of realigning its functioning according to the changes that are taking place within the country. The intention of the government post apartheid was to correct the imbalances which were brought about by the apartheid government and the following regulations and policies influenced the change in nursing education, that is, Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), White Paper on Higher Education (WPHE), and the National Qualification Framework (NQF) (South Africa, 1995:6). In 1996 the government introduced the first democratic constitution of the Republic of South Africa (RS A) according to Act 108 of 1996. In the light of those increasing changes in nursing education, led by political change, the experiences of nurse educators is a critical issue facing nursing campuses. The purpose of this study was two-fold; namely: to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators with regard to the rationalisation of nursing education and to use information obtained to describe guidelines for the effective rationalisation of a nursing college in the Limpopo Province. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nurse educators who worked in nursing colleges before and after 1994. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were applied and ethical issues were adhered to throughout the research process. Data was analysed following Tesch’s method (Creswell 1994:154-155). The research established that nurse educators experienced dissatisfaction in several areas relating to the rationalization of nursing education. Support was also expected from bureaucracy at higher level. This study developed guidelines to policy makers and nurse educators to ensure effective rationalisation process.

scholarly journals Ethical Issues with Using Internet of Things Devices in Citizen Science Research: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Scheibner ◽  
Anna Jobin ◽  
Effy Vayena
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Review Protocol

Digital innovation is ever more present and increasingly integrated into citizen science research. However, smartphones and other connected devices come with specific features and characteristics and, in consequence, raise particular ethical issues. This article addresses this important intersection of citizen science and the Internet of Things by focusing on how such ethical issues are communicated in scholarly literature. To answer this research question, this article presents a scoping review of published scientific studies or case studies of scientific studies that utilize both citizen scientists and Internet of Things devices. Specifically, this scoping review protocol retrieved studies where the authors had included at least a short discussion of the ethical issues encountered during the research process. A full text analysis of relevant articles conducted inductively and deductively identified three main categories of ethical issues being communicated: autonomy and data privacy, data quality, and intellectual property. Based on these categories, this review offers an overview of the legal and social innovation implications raised. This review also provides recommendations for researchers who wish to innovatively integrate citizen scientists and Internet of Things devices into their research based on the strategies researchers took to resolve these ethical issues.

scholarly journals Aquamation: legal nail in burial and cremation's coffin?

De Jure ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Magda Slabbert ◽  
Melody Labuschaigne
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Health ◽  
Alkaline Hydrolysis ◽  
Chemical Process ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Dead Body ◽  
Acceptable Alternative ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
National Health Act

Respect for the dead defines a community. Burial of a corpse has for many years been the only way of disposing of a dead body. Land available for burial sites is limited. In the 1960s cremation became an acceptable alternative to burial. Recently a more environmentally friendly way of disposing of a corpse was introduced to South Africa. Alkaline Hydrolysis or aquamation is a chemical process dissolving a dead body. The wastewater can be disposed of in a sewage system. Legislation has not kept up with this new technology. A new set of regulations to the National Health Act 61 of 2003 is proposed.

‘Mental capacity’, ‘sufficient maturity’, and ‘capable of understanding’ in relation to children: how should health professionals interpret these terms?

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil J Pillay ◽  
Jerome A Singh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
National Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Common Definition ◽  
Foreign Law ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
National Health Act

South Africa’s Children’s Act 38 of 2005 requires health professionals to determine whether a child possesses ‘sufficient maturity’ and ‘mental capacity’ to make decisions about themselves in relation to surgery, treatment, and HIV testing. Similarly, the National Health Act 61 of 2003 requires a child to be ‘capable of understanding’ to provide informed consent in research. However, neither the Children’s Act nor the National Health Act defines these terms. Moreover, there is no common definition of ‘sufficient maturity’ among healthcare professionals in South Africa. Appreciating how foreign law interprets ‘mental capacity’ and how different healthcare professionals evaluate ‘maturity’ could prove illuminative in respect to how these terms could be interpreted by health professionals in South Africa, and elsewhere.

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