Ethics in Research Methodology

INTRODUCTION

Over the decades, the social science research has grown manifold, both quantitatively and qualitatively in India. Ethical considerations across the research community have also come to the forefront in recent years. We are going through a time of profound change in our understanding of the ethics in applied social research, broadly in 2 the field of social science research. From the time immediately after World War II until the early 1990s, there was a gradually developing consensus about the key ethical principles that should underlie the research endeavour. There is a need to address some of the ethical issues and challenges associated with social science research and in its allied area, using as its framework--ethical principles of justice, beneficence, and respect for human beings by formulating standardized ethical code of conduct at institutional level. The minority, marginalized and underprivileged among the multicultural, multilingual and multiregional India are vulnerable and voiceless. The social scientists have the moral responsibility to project their interests through research and should act as the custodians of the social conscience trough analysis and description of social realities, facts and conditions and socially shared patterns of behaviour.

WHAT IS ETHICS?

"Ethics" are norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Ethics is not limited to specific acts and defined moral codes, but encompasses the whole of moral ideals and behaviours, a person's philosophy of life. Personal ethics signifies a moral code applicable to individuals, while social ethics means moral theory applied to groups. Social ethics can be synonymous with social and political philosophy; in as much as it is the foundation of a model or ideal society or state.

Ethics and morals are respectively akin to theory and practice. Ethics denotes the theory of right and wrong actions, while morals indicate their practice within...