Specific efforts are required to ensure that research is conducted ethically. As mentioned by Pietilä et al. (2020), it is necessary to promote autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. Autonomy is present because no individuals are forced to participate in the project. Simultaneously, people are instructed that they can freely withdraw from the research at any point of time without any consequences. Non-maleficence implies that recruited individuals should not be subject to any risks. This requirement is achieved because people are questioned in safe and comfortable conditions. Furthermore, the beneficence principle is satisfied as the research is going to generate the findings that will positively affect the entire society. As for justice, it is found because the project does not include any discriminatory practices, and all recruited individuals are treated equally. The provision of these four principles ensures that the research is conducted ethically.
Informed consent is another essential element that is required to promote ethical practices. Recruited participants should sign this document to confirm that they are aware of the research procedures and agree to get involved in it (Borovecki et al., 2018). This form is included in Appendix A of this paper. It presents the purpose, leading procedures, risks, and benefits that are associated with the research project. Since this document is essential, experts typically draw much attention to making it professional and unambiguous. While the chief investigator is expected to endorse all of them, every participant should sign two informed consent forms. One copy is given to a recruited individual, and the other is stored by the investigator. This strategy is necessary because it protects all the parties from legal claims.
Appropriate procedures should be implemented to recruit participants for the study. A suitable strategy seems to post information about the research project on social media. Online advertising is an efficient approach to ensure that many individuals are aware of the upcoming study. Online postings should have sufficient details to help the target audience understand its necessity. For example, it is reasonable to explain the purpose, procedures as well as potential risks and benefits of the study. It is required to include contact information so that individuals can send their wish to get involved. The recruitment process will not have any barriers as to what characteristic features individuals should have. The study will welcome people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, occupations, and religious beliefs. The only limitation is that participants should be above 18 years old. However, this requirement is justified by the fact that studies involving minors should satisfy additional organizational and provisional aspects. In the given condition, including underage participants seem not reasonable.
A survey will be used to collect data from the recruited participants. This instrument is selected because it ensures that the collected data is suitable for qualitative analysis. In particular, it is essential to rely on the 5-point Likert scale to identify how the issue under analysis is present among the participants. This approach implies that participants will be given specific statements, and their task will be to measure how they agree or disagree with them. Potential responses include (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree. The figures will be further summed up and included with statistical analyses to reveal their meanings. The surveys will be distributed online to obtain responses from many respondents within a limited period of time.
References
Borovecki, A., Mlinaric, A., Horvat, M., & Smolcic, S. V. (2018). Informed consent and ethics committee approval in laboratory medicine.Biochemia Medica, 28(3), 373-382. Web.
Pietilä, A. M., Nurmi, S. M., Halkoaho, A., & Kyngäs, H. (2020). Qualitative research: Ethical considerations. In H. Kyngäs, K. Mikkonen, & M. Kääriäinen (Eds.), The application of content analysis in nursing science research (pp. 49-69). Springer.
Informed Consent
