How to Summarize the Main Ethical Issues Related to Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a method used by many social scientists to gather statistics, conduct experiments and formulate theories. This should not be confused with quantitative research, which is the method of quantitatively analyzing something based on questions such as "how many," "how long" and "how much." Qualitative research instead attempts to investigate human behavior and focuses more on the "how" and "why" in experiments. Due to this nature of research, qualitative methods raise several ethical issues. When you are writing an ethics paper on qualitative research, it is important to find multiple sources of research about those ethics and then summarize them in your own words.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer
  • Internet connection
  • Microsoft Word software
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Instructions

  1. Summarize the Issues

    • 1

      Use an online search engine, such as Google or Bing, to gather research on the topic. Begin by typing in any words that you may be unfamiliar with. Defining key terms in the topic will allow you to generate better searches.

    • 2

      Select one or two articles that best summarize your topic. These will help to keep your thoughts organized.

    • 3

      Re-read those articles and pick out main points that can be summarized in three to five keywords. For example, the Research Methods Knowledge Base (2006) suggests that voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity and right to service are the main ethical issues related to qualitative research. To gain a better understanding on these issues, you can type each one in on a main search engine, then read specific articles further explaining each issue.

    • 4

      Open Microsoft Word to type out the main issues that you found.

    • 5

      Restructure each main issue into a sentence that summarizes its definition.

    • 6

      Type in two to three supporting sentences for each main issue. These sentences may describe how the researcher is at risk for unethical behavior and what he/she can do to avoid it in various situations.

    • 7

      Type your name and date on the top of the page. You may also add a title to your summary, which should be centered on the top of the page in bolder font.

    • 8

      Write a 'Works Cited' page, listing all references that you used in your paper.

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