Problem:
Institutional review boards (IRBs) protect research participants and help maintain public trust by making sure studies are ethical and well-monitored. However, IRB approval is only one part of ethical responsibility. Researchers and institutions must also be honest and accurate when sharing and recording their work. If results are shared outside what the IRB approved, or if data are changed, hidden, or misrepresented, it can harm participants, lead to institutional penalties, and reduce public trust in research.
According to the APA Ethics Code (Standards 5 and 6), researchers must be honest, accurate, and transparent in how they communicate and document their work. In this discussion, you'll examine how IRB oversight, ethical communication, and institutional responsibility work together to ensure research is conducted responsibly.
Before completing this discussion, read the following scenario: You are leading a research project approved by your institution's Institutional Review Board (IRB). After completing data collection, you realize that you have also recorded several informal observations and notes that were not included in your original IRB-approved protocol. These additional insights appear valuable and could strengthen the interpretation and impact of your findings. However, because these observations were not described in your IRB submission, you are uncertain whether incorporating them into your report would breach ethical or institutional guidelines. You must consider whether including this unapproved data could compromise the study's integrity, violate IRB policies, or undermine the transparency and accuracy of your research reporting.
Discuss the following with the class:
Which parts of the APA Ethics Code best apply to the scenario? How do these standards guide responsible reporting and communication in this situation? Need Assignment Help?
How can researchers and institutions show accountability when they find unapproved but useful observations? What can they do to stay ethical and honest while still being accurate in their reports?
Imagine that artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used to organize or analyze data in the scenario. How should researchers handle the use of AI tools in their work, such as when organizing or analyzing research notes? What ethical issues might arise, and how could transparency about AI use affect trust in their research?
Include citations and references (scholarly or professional) in each response.
Reference:
Fisher, C. B. (2023). Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.