{"id":5515,"date":"2020-11-24T08:05:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T08:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/comic_strip\/top-5-ethical-considerations-when-you-conduct-research\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T14:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:08:39","slug":"top-5-ethical-considerations-when-you-conduct-research","status":"publish","type":"comic_strip","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/top-5-ethical-considerations-when-you-conduct-research","title":{"rendered":"What are research ethics? Guidelines, examples, and consequences of unethical research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jump to Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are research ethics?<\/a><\/p>\n

Why are research ethics important?<\/a><\/p>\n

Where can I find research ethics guidelines?<\/a><\/p>\n

What are common ethical issues in research?<\/a><\/p>\n

What are the consequences of unethical research?<\/a><\/p>\n

How to write a research ethics statement?<\/a><\/p>\n

Downloadable infographic<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>What are research ethics?<\/h2>\n

Research ethics are moral principles that researchers need to follow while conducting and reporting their research so as to not deceive or harm the participants, research community, and wider society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Why are research ethics important?<\/h2>\n

Research ethics are important because they<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Protect human and animal subjects<\/li>\n
  2. Prevent data falsification and fabrication<\/li>\n
  3. Increase public trust in research<\/li>\n
  4. Keep researchers accountable to funders<\/li>\n
  5. Boost researchers\u2019 credibility and reputation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/a>Where can I find research ethics guidelines?<\/h2>\n

    The EQUATOR Network<\/a> (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) contains a comprehensive set of ethics and reporting guidelines for various kinds of studies. The World Health Organization<\/a> also publishes a number of valuable ethics guidelines.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/a>What are common ethical issues in research?<\/h2>\n

    Common ethical issues in research, especially those that hinder publication of your research paper, include<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Lack of informed consent\/Institutional Board Approval<\/li>\n
    2. Data integrity issues (data fabrication or falsification)<\/li>\n
    3. Image manipulation<\/li>\n
    4. Inadequate measures to protect participant confidentiality and data privacy<\/li>\n
    5. Misleading reporting\/ \u201ccherry picking\u201d data that fits in with your hypothesis and discarding any findings that don\u2019t<\/li>\n
    6. Non-disclosure of conflicts of interest: e.g., a researcher receives a grant from a dairy products company but does not disclose this in their paper on how dairy consumption protects against osteoarthritis.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      <\/a>What are the consequences of unethical research?<\/h2>\n

      If you or your research paper is found to violate ethical guidelines, the consequences could be<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Retraction of your research paper<\/li>\n
      2. Failed grades\/courses for students<\/li>\n
      3. Suspension or expulsion from the university for students<\/li>\n
      4. Suspension without pay or firing for university employees<\/li>\n
      5. Damaged reputation<\/li>\n
      6. Loss of funding<\/li>\n
      7. Legal repercussions like lawsuits or even imprisonment<\/li>\n
      8. Erosion of your institute\u2019s\/lab\u2019s public reputation and credibility<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        <\/a>How to write a research ethics statement?<\/h2>\n

        In your research paper, you generally present ethical declarations as follows:<\/p>\n

        For a study involving human subjects:<\/h3>\n

        This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All procedures were approved by the [Insert Institution] Ethics Committee (Protocol #12345). All participants gave written informed consent.<\/p>\n

        For a study using databases without actively collecting new data:<\/h3>\n

        The study was considered exempt from institutional review board approval by [Committee Name, Institute] because [reason, e.g., it used data from an anonymized public dataset]<\/p>\n

        For a study using animal subjects:<\/h3>\n

        “All experiments were conducted in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines and the [Name of Institution] animal care guidelines and approved by the [Committee Name] (approval no.).<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        <\/a>Infographic<\/h2>\n

        This infographic includes the most common ethical considerations that must be considered when a study involves human subjects or experimental animals. It is aimed at helping researchers develop best practices so that they can publish ethically and avoid rejection or retraction due to misconduct.<\/p>\n

        Feel free to download this infographic and refer to it when you consider starting a new study.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"R<\/a><\/p>\n

        Top 5 ethical considerations in human and animal studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        No.<\/th>\nEthical Consideration<\/th>\nDescription<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
        1<\/td>\nObtain approval from relevant authorities<\/td>\nGet approval from IRB, ethics committee, or relevant body before starting the study. External funding may also require funder approval.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        2<\/td>\nFollow guidelines\/checklists<\/td>\nUse ARRIVE checklist for animal studies and Declaration of Helsinki standards for human studies.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        3<\/td>\nRegister your clinical trials<\/td>\nRegister trials in public databases (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, ISCTN, WHO ICTRP) before enrolling participants, as per WHO and Helsinki guidelines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        4<\/td>\nGet prior informed consent<\/td>\nObtain written consent from all participants at the beginning. Journals may reject studies without proof of consent.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        5<\/td>\nInclude all details during submission<\/td>\nSubmit approval statements, consent evidence, and trial registration number with your manuscript.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

         <\/p>\n

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