Section outline

  • Course Overview

    This course equips you with the skills and knowledge you need to engage with historical and contemporary research ethics and consider procedural research ethics codes. It teaches you to recognize what the expectations for a researcher are regarding research ethics. This will help you reflect on your identity and take steps to develop an aspirational research ethics stance.

    Learning Outcomes

    This course will help you to:

    1. Recognize the significance of research ethics from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
    2. Develop the skills to recognize and assess the credibility of research sources.
    3. Learn how to navigate the ethical considerations related to human research.
    4. Implement a culturally responsive stance to your research.
    5. Reflect on personal identity and its role in the research process.
    6. Acquire strategies for fact-checking and maintaining ethical conduct in research.
    7. Familiarize yourself with research ethics guidelines and review processes.
    8. Explore the concept of aspirational research ethics and its significance.

    • Course Instructor: Maria Lahman

      • Maria K. E. Lahman

        Maria K. E. Lahman, is a professor of qualitative methodology at the University of Northern Colorado, in Colorado, USA. She is the author of the Sage textbooks Ethics in Social Science Research: Becoming Culturally Responsive and Writing and Representing Qualitative Research. Maria challenges herself to weave aspects of social justice and peacebuilding into her pedagogy and scholarship. Maria's scholarship is focused on creating ethical solutions for culturally complex methodological situations, diversity, young children, mothering, and qualitative writing representation.

        View Bio for Maria K. E. Lahman

      • Course Resources

        You will need to access certain files and resources throughout the course to get the most out of the activities. You can find them all here. 

      • Video Transcripts

        You can access all video transcripts here.

      • Pre-Course Self Assessment

        Before you dive into this course, spend a few moments reflecting on your familiarity with the topic and your current level of skills confidence. 

        You will then re-visit the same questions in our Post-Course Self Assessment and reflect on how the course has helped you develop in confidence and grow your skills. 

        • Module One: What Are Research Ethics?


          This module will help you to:

          1. Evaluate what research ethics are and the varying types of research ethics
          2. Identify research ethics guidelines to draw on as you create research proposals and research ethics review requests

        • Module Two: The History of Human Research Ethics


          This module will help you to:

          1. Recognize what the expectations for a researcher are regarding research ethics
          2. Navigate the unethical history of human research
          3. Recognize and appreciate the need to commit to ethical research

        • Module Three: The Role of Human Research Ethics Boards


          This module will help you to:

          1. Describe the importance of beneficence, autonomy, and justice in Western human research ethics 

          2. Describe what a research ethics board is and its role in research 

          3. Identify the presence of REBs (research ethics boards), or IRBs (institutional review boards) or RECs (research ethics committees) in your country 

          4. Locate adjacent, relevant research ethics guidance if REBs are not established where you conduct research 

          5. Attend to the importance of staying abreast of changing research areas and the possible impact on ethical conduct (e.g., technology, biological developments) 

        • Module Four: Culturally Responsive Research Ethics


          This module will help you to:

          1. Recognize the variety of established research ethics researchers can draw on 
          2. Use culturally responsive research ethics as an example of what one may aspire to as a researcher 
          3. Consider your identities and culture and the identities and cultures of the people you conduct research with 
          4. Explore how these identities are a valuable part of the research process 
          5. Think about research ethics with people who are underrepresented or potentially vulnerable to better consider possible requirements for the groups you conduct research with  
          6. Take steps to develop an aspirational research ethics stance 
          7. Write reflexively about aspirational research ethics 

        • References and Glossary of Key Terms

        • Post-Course Self Assessment

          Now you’ve completed the course, spend a few moments reflecting on where your familiarity with the topics and your confidence skills levels are at now. 

          Has the course helped you develop new skills and grow your confidence?

          You'll need to complete the Post-Course Self Assessment in order to download your certificate. If you didn't do the Pre-Course Self Assessment before starting the course, please go to the top of the page and reflect on your familiarity with the topic and your level of skills confidence before you started the course.

          • Completion: Certificate

            Completing all modules (plus the pre and post-course assessments) will unlock the course certificate, which you can then download here. Your course certificate will only be made available once you have completed all these sections.

            If you have difficulty accessing your certificate, please contact the Sage support team at: onlinesupport@sagepub.co.uk. You can also check out this FAQ page which may be helpful.

            • Give Feedback About This Course

              Did you enjoy the course? Please take two minutes to share your feedback. We use learner feedback in future course updates and developments to provide an excellent learning experience.

            • Accessibility, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

              We have high standards of accessibility on Sage Campus and as of May/June 2024 all activities within this course are keyboard and screen reader compatible. For more details on accessibility standards, please see the Sage Campus Accessibility Guide.

              For those using assistive technology, please note that within this course:

              • Tab components: JAWS and NVDA behave slightly differently. For NVDA to keep reading, it is best to exit focus mode and go back to browse mode. 
              • Matching: JAWS does not read out question label on dropdown focus. 

              Additionally, please refer to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement which outlines our commitment to high standards of DEI on Sage Campus.