Research studies involving human subjects must consider several ethical issues. Subjects must volunteer for participation in a research trial, and they must have full knowledge of the activities and associated risks involved in the study. Doctoral students cannot intentionally expose participants to a situation that can be harmful, either mentally or physically.
Whenever possible, information gathered about subjects should be anonymous, meaning the information collected cannot be traced back to the individual it was collected from. Individuals might be more willing to participate in studies and be more honest if anonymity is included. This can be accomplished through the use of electronic data collection where participants are know by number, not by name. If data is collected in person, it can potentially be traced back to the participant, but the information can be kept confidential through the use of electronic security measures.
Doctoral research projects might provide treatment to one group of subjects while withholding it from another group. The purpose for this setup is to compare the results of treatment with non-treatment. This type of study can cause ethical concerns because denying a potentially helpful treatment could harm research subjects.
Graduate students must be as objective as possible throughout the research process. This can be difficult as the student might have an idea about the outcome of a study before it is completed. As a result, data analysis can be structured to produce an outcome based on the student's opinion. A third party can be used for data analysis to minimize this concern. In addition, students are required to disclose any conflict of interest that might affect the study's outcome.