Ethical
Guidelines
The
origins of the SRA’s concern to maintain an up-to-date
set of ethical guidelines and be proactive in the discussion
of social research ethics lies in our sense of responsibility
for standard-setting in the profession of social research.
Recent
legislative changes and concerns about litigation have increased
funders’ interest
in and concern about good ethical practice in social research.
Various initiatives are afoot and
2004 will see much more debate about the right ways to ensure compliance
with good ethical practice across all sectors of social research.
In such a climate the key responsibility for ethical awareness
and for the status of the profession rests with each individual
social researcher and funder, as the actions of each affect us
all. The Social Research Association has revised its ethical guidelines,
first drawn up in the 1980s in the light of current concerns and
knowledge.
The 2003 Ethical
Guidelines can be downloaded
here (.pdf
180k).
For a report
of the joint ARCISS/SRA seminar on current developments in Social
Science Research Ethics held at the Policy Studies Institute
on the 23rd January 2004 see here (.doc
26k).
To see the recent developments in the RESPECT project see http://www.respectproject.org
You can download
a copy of the new RESPECT code here (.pdf
259k)
SRA Ethics Forum
The SRA will be launching an "Ethics Forum" on 29th
January 2008 designed to support members confronting ethical
dilemmas in their research work. Ethical scrutiny of research
has grown rapidly in all areas of enquiry – academic, government,
and health. There has been less emphasis on ethical practice
and there is continuing and growing need to maintain awareness
of the ethical implications of social research. The SRA is responding
to a need for ongoing mentoring support.
Full details available
here (doc 31k)
Commissioning Research
The SRA has recently revised its good practice guidelines
on commissioning social research.
The guide gives practical advice on issues relating to commissioning research,
including different types of competition, running competitive tenders, and ways
in which research buyers and suppliers can best work together.
Click here to
download a copy (.pdf 225k) of our revised good practice guide to commissioning
social research. Printed copies are also available priced at £10. See here to
order (.pdf 34k).
Also available for download is the 2006
Curriculum Guidelines for Training Programmes on Research Commissioning by
Janie Percy-Smith & Alison Darlow (Policy Research
Institute) (.pdf 93k)
Staying Safe
A Code
of Practice for the Safety of Social Researchers
This is the SRA's Code of Practice for the safety
of social researchers, particularly those conducting research in
the field on their own.
The code focuses on safety in interviewing or observation in private settings
but is of relevance to working in unfamiliar environments in general. A copy
of the code can be downloaded here (.doc
63K).
There are a number of dimensions to the risk that social researchers may face
when involved in close social interaction:
- risk of physical threat or abuse
- risk of psychological trauma, as a result of
actual or threatened violence or the nature of what is disclosed
during the interaction
- risk of being in a comprising situation, in
which there might be accusations of improper behaviour
- increased exposure to risks of everyday life
and social interaction, such as road accidents and infectious illness
- risk of causing psychological or physical harm
to others.
The code is designed for research funders,
employers, research managers and researchers carrying out fieldwork.
The aims are to point out safety issues which need to be considered
in the design and conduct of social research in the field and to
encourage procedures to reduce the risk. The intention is not to
be alarmist about potential dangers but to minimise anxieties or
insecurities which might affect the quality of the research.
Publications
Here is a list of available SRA publications. Some
of the publications on this list can be downloaded free, for copies
of the other publications please contact the SRA administrator admin@the-sra.org.uk.
Some publications are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format - for help, or to download
the Acrobat Reader - click here.
Users with accessibility issues should visit access.adobe.com
For previous editions of our members newsletter see here.
2007
|
2006 Curriculum Guidelines for Training Programmes
on Research Commissioning by Janie Percy-Smith & Alison Darlow
(Policy Research Institute)
( .pdf
93k) |
2005
|
Data Protection Act 1998:
Guidelines for Social Research - Oct. 2005 (.pdf
253k)
|
2003
|
Commissioning Social Research: A good practice
guide – second edition. Report of a working party (.pdf
225k). Printed copies are also available priced at £10.
See here to order (.pdf
34k). |
2002
|
Ethics and Social Research. Report of a working
party. (.doc
160k or .pdf
214k). |
2001
|
Safety for Social Researchers. Report of a
working party. (.doc
63K) |
1998
|
Citizens Panels and Juries. Report of a working
party. Printed copies available. |
1994
|
Commissioning Social Research: A good practice
guide. Report of a working party (.doc
162k) . Printed copies available. |
1992
|
Report of a Working Party on the Future of
Training in Social Research. Report of a working party. Photocopies
available. |
1985
|
The State of Training in Social Research.
Training Committee. Photocopies available. |
1984
|
Can you buy it off the shelf? Alternative
methods of commissioning research. Ed. Janet Lewis and Ann Jacoby – Proceedings
of a conference. Photocopies available. |
1984
|
Commissioning Social Research: A good practice
guide. Photocopies available. |
1984
|
Interim Statement on Ethical Issues. Report
in SRA News. Photocopies available. |
1982
|
Directory of Social Research Courses and Institutions.
Training committee. Photocopies available. |
1982
|
Data protection and Privacy Papers. Scottish
SRA. Photocopies available. |
1982
|
Principles of SRA Publications: Criteria and
pricing. Report in SRA News. Photocopies available. |
1981
|
Consultative Documents on Ethics. Report of
a working party. Photocopies available. |
1980
|
Terms and Conditions of Social Research Funding
in Britain. Report of a working party. Photocopies available. |
|
