4 Creative research methods and ethics
-
Helen Kara
Abstract
Ethical considerations need to permeate the whole of the research process. Ethical issues in research are most often thought of in terms of data gathering and risk of harm to participants, perhaps because historically that is where most harm has been done in notorious studies such as the Tuskegee syphilis experiments and Stanley Milgram’s studies of obedience (Iphofen 2011: 53). However, ethics should underpin every single step of research, from the first germ of an idea to the last act after dissemination. And ethical problems require ethical decision making – which allows for creativity (Box 4.1), even in places that may seem unlikely, such as research ethics governance committees (Stark 2012: 166). Also, perhaps surprisingly, there is a close link between working ethically and thinking creatively.
The work of Mumford et al (2010) suggests that taking a creative approach can help to make your research more ethical. It has also been suggested that being open about the creative aspects of your research, such as acknowledging that your research design is new or your writing is semi-fictionalised, is an ethical position (Piper and Sikes 2010: 572). This is because such a position recognises that research is constructed, with aesthetic aspects – something that was hidden by conventional styles of research writing and presentation (Rhodes and Brown 2005: 479).
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the rights and wrongs of human behaviour. There are lots of books on ethics and research ethics that outline different types of ethical theory. Theories include deontology, which suggests that acts are good or bad of themselves regardless of their consequences, so that telling a lie is bad even if it makes someone feel better.
Abstract
Ethical considerations need to permeate the whole of the research process. Ethical issues in research are most often thought of in terms of data gathering and risk of harm to participants, perhaps because historically that is where most harm has been done in notorious studies such as the Tuskegee syphilis experiments and Stanley Milgram’s studies of obedience (Iphofen 2011: 53). However, ethics should underpin every single step of research, from the first germ of an idea to the last act after dissemination. And ethical problems require ethical decision making – which allows for creativity (Box 4.1), even in places that may seem unlikely, such as research ethics governance committees (Stark 2012: 166). Also, perhaps surprisingly, there is a close link between working ethically and thinking creatively.
The work of Mumford et al (2010) suggests that taking a creative approach can help to make your research more ethical. It has also been suggested that being open about the creative aspects of your research, such as acknowledging that your research design is new or your writing is semi-fictionalised, is an ethical position (Piper and Sikes 2010: 572). This is because such a position recognises that research is constructed, with aesthetic aspects – something that was hidden by conventional styles of research writing and presentation (Rhodes and Brown 2005: 479).
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the rights and wrongs of human behaviour. There are lots of books on ethics and research ethics that outline different types of ethical theory. Theories include deontology, which suggests that acts are good or bad of themselves regardless of their consequences, so that telling a lie is bad even if it makes someone feel better.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of boxes, figures and tables xi
- Notes on the author xv
- Foreword xvi
- Debts of gratitude xvii
- How this book can help 1
- Introducing creative research 5
- Creative research methods in practice 23
- Transformative research frameworks and Indigenous research 45
- Creative research methods and ethics 61
- Creative thinking 77
- Arts-based and embodied data gathering 101
- Technology-based and multi-modal data gathering 119
- Arts-based and embodied data analysis 135
- Technology-based and multi-modal data analysis 149
- Arts-based and embodied research reporting 163
- Technology-based and multi-modal research reporting 177
- Arts-based and embodied presentation 187
- Technology-based and multi-modal presentation 199
- From research into practice 215
- Conclusion 235
- Further reading 239
- References 241
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of boxes, figures and tables xi
- Notes on the author xv
- Foreword xvi
- Debts of gratitude xvii
- How this book can help 1
- Introducing creative research 5
- Creative research methods in practice 23
- Transformative research frameworks and Indigenous research 45
- Creative research methods and ethics 61
- Creative thinking 77
- Arts-based and embodied data gathering 101
- Technology-based and multi-modal data gathering 119
- Arts-based and embodied data analysis 135
- Technology-based and multi-modal data analysis 149
- Arts-based and embodied research reporting 163
- Technology-based and multi-modal research reporting 177
- Arts-based and embodied presentation 187
- Technology-based and multi-modal presentation 199
- From research into practice 215
- Conclusion 235
- Further reading 239
- References 241
- Index 285
