Research ethics guidelines

Research in politics is concerned with developing a knowledge and understanding of government and society.

The interaction of people, ideas and institutions provides the focus to understand how values are allocated and resources distributed at many levels, from the local through to the sectoral, national, regional and global. Thus, analyses of who gets what, when, how, why and where are central, and pertain to related questions of power, justice, order, conflict, legitimacy, accountability, obligation, sovereignty and decision-making.

Politics encompasses philosophical, theoretical, institutional and issue-based concerns relating to governance.

It is the responsibility of individual researchers to consider any possible ethical or legal implications of research that they are undertaking; and the joint responsibility of supervisors and students to consider these together.

Any research activity that involves human participants should be conducted in a respectful manner. Ethical dilemmas tend to arise in relation to the following issues in the fields of political science:

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is what should be promised if anonymity cannot be maintained and should be assumed if you cannot guarantee anonymity.

This requires that you guarantee that no one will be individually identifiable in any way if it is their express wish that their identity is not revealed in any published research output.

Anonymity

If promises of anonymity are made to research respondents then it is essential that these are fulfilled.

Informed consent

Participants in research should be informed of the purpose of the research project and the main uses to which research materials will be put.

In the case of interviewees, permission to reproduce direct quotations ought to be obtained from participants.

You should strive to be as honest and open with participants as possible, and not expose them to any unnecessary risks when conducting your research.