Ethical Data Management and Research

This chapter focuses on the concepts of ethical issues and research integrity. Those unethical issues in research such as copyright violation, submitting articles for publication to more than one journal, and author biases are mentioned. The chapter also investigates the causes of unethical issues in research like inadequate national concept benchmark accorded publication, political influence and economic factors, the aftermath and the way forward for enhancing research integrity in Nigerian education is also recommended for rectification.

Research Conceptualization

This chapter discusses the import of research conceptualization, documentation, and communication. The intent is to clinically exposit the importance of research and its processes, to underscore the philosophy of research and its relevance to science, and to make research and its processes a better tool in the hands of researchers. Orchestrating this, the chapter clinically exposits the following sub-headings: research conceptualization, objective research, motivation in research, forms and types of research, exploratory research, descriptive research, qualitative research, quantitative, criteria of a good research method, methodological and theoretical robustness of research, research method and its methodology, and justification for the choice of research method. The chapter, therefore, may make a significant contribution to the field of research. Arguably, the essence is to make research methodology more apt and educative.

Ethical Information and Communication Technologies for Development Solutions

The purpose of this chapter is firstly to build on the existing literature in the field of research methodology, especially as applicable in the emerging areas of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) and massive open online courses (MOOCs). This chapter is further aimed at enabling readers to understand why ethics is important in research relating to ICT4D and MOOCs, as well as identifying other elements critical to the responsible conduct of research in the areas of ICT4D and MOOCs. The chapter specifically discusses research integrity in the context of a MOOC entitled Ethical Information and Communication Technologies for Development Solutions.

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Data Collection Among Vulnerable Populations in Healthcare Setting

The chapter aims to highlight the ethical issues in qualitative data collection among vulnerable populations. Among the ethical issues are the conflict role of interviewers, adverse impact on future patient-therapist relationship, and emotional trauma both during and after data collection. The interviewers, usually healthcare providers, may subconsciously assume the role as a therapist during the interviews. Furthermore, the interviewers may encounter the participants (patients) in future clinical consultations; hence, information exchanges during the interviews could influence the therapeutic relationship. Recollection of experiences with an illness during the interviews can be a painful experience for patients. These ethical dilemmas can be addressed with appropriate sampling of participants and constant awareness of the researcher roles and relationships with the participants. Debriefing the participants with support is important to handle emotional upheavals.

Data Documentation and Informed Consent in Research

This chapter examines data documentation and informed consent in research. The exercise of documenting data provides an opportunity for researchers to reflect on a study to guide current work and inform and enhance future research. The chapter explains data documentation, how data is created or digitized, what data mean, what their content and structure are and any data manipulations that may have taken place, specific steps for documenting data-based research beginning with the study design and ending with data analysis and guidelines for obtaining informed consent, developing culturally appropriate methods of sharing information for research purpose and discusses prevailing views on current controversies, ambiguities and problems with these guidelines and suggests potential solutions. The literature also includes many references to the need for data documentation and informed consent. Further research is needed to examine the validity and user friendliness of innovations in information sharing procedures for obtaining consent in different cultural settings.

Roles and Importance of Ethics in the Counseling Profession

Absence of rules, guidelines, or instruction in any setting will lead to chaos. Ethics is a written law, and in this chapter, the focus is on the role and importance of ethics in counselling. Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the morality of human actions. Every professional body is governed by ethics and counselling profession is not exclusive. Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) does not have already established ethical codes due to several challenges but the ethical codes of American Counselling Association (ACA) and British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) have been very helpful. These major associations (ACA and BACP) are guided by similar ethical principles and code of ethics. Without ethics, counselling will achieve nothing or very little of her goals. Hence, the roles and importance of ethics in counselling is crucial; it sets order and guarantees a total and healthy human development.

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Data Collection and Management

Qualitative data collection is largely defined by the personal experience and opinions of the examinee. The examinee is central in the approach, and not so much the researcher. The essence is a communication between the researcher and the examinee, where interpretation of both the questions asked and the answers provided serves the purpose of understanding. This type of research is interpretative and almost exclusively subjective, because the personal or subjective way of understanding and interpretation is central. However, there is certainly a serious possibility for external influence on the answers to be provided or even the way answers are interpreted. Additionally, there is a fair chance that the questions are phrased towards expected answers. There are various moments where ethics are paramount to the quality and acceptability of the research. To protect objectivity, ethical professionalism and professional morale are important. This chapter aims to describe and discuss ethical issues related to collection and management of data from qualitative research.

Ensuring Research Integrity

Ethics is the study of man's internalization of his understanding of terms such as value, dignity, integrity, fairness, justice, and care among others. These terms are relevant to man in his private as well as public life, in official and unofficial settings. Man must realize that he interacts with others either on one-on-one basis or through other materials, which include recorded voice, written documents, speeches made, interviews granted, and the like. He must take cognizance of his sense of morality therefore or become immoral, that is using people solely to achieve his purpose, or worse still degenerate to being amoral. Where a researcher is indifferent to the impact of his work on others, his research base or benefactors, he is an egoist. In order to assist the researcher, journalist, teacher, etc. every organization, institute, corporation, etc. must have laid down rules generally referred to as “code of conduct.” These must be binding on all members, serving as a guide to members' behaviors in their day-to-day interactions.

Role and Importance of Ethics in Research

Ethics relate to the manner in which a researcher treats participants in the research study. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss and explain the role and the importance of ethics in educational research. Firstly, an explanation of ethics is presented. This is followed by the discussion on the importance of ethics in research. Thereafter, a framework for ethical analysis is presented. Furthermore, the important role that needs to be considered when conducting a research is provided. Reference is made to the target university's ethics processes and procedures for the qualification purposes. It may be concluded that for every research study to be conducted, it is important to follow the ethics in order for the researcher to know how to treat and conduct the participants in the research. It is recommended that researchers protect the interests of vulnerable groups throughout the research process.

Ensuring Research Integrity and the Ethical Management of Data

The purpose of this chapter is to ensure research integrity and the ethical management of data in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions. Research as a process concerns three scopes relating to examination/inquiry, finding, and application. In Nigerian universities, only two dimensions of research are in use, observation/inquiry and discovery. Consequently, there is lack of transfer of knowledge to the society through the visible creation of new technology products, processes, or even the development of the existing ones. More often than not, however, when attempts are made by students and lecturers in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions to engage in research conduct, writings, and publications, chains of unethical issues and actions are involved or practiced. It is the consideration of some of such unethical behaviors, their consequences, and how data are managed that the present chapter reveals.