Choose one aspect of research ethics that you found interesting or useful (or puzzling)

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and explain in your own words what it means and why you think it might be an issue.
Now think about your own thesis and the research you will have to do: why and how are research
ethics going to be relevant to your planned thesis? Be as specific as possible. [If you have absolutely
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no idea yet what to do for a thesis, then pick any research method you like & know (surveys, case
studies, experiments, simulations, etc.) to answer the question.]
Regarding the answer to your own last question: explain what you are going to do about this ethical
issue when you encounter it during your thesis research? Be specific. [If you have absolutely no idea
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yet what to do for a thesis, then pick any research methods you like & know (surveys, case studies,
experiments, simulations, etc.) to answer the question.]

Maintaining the confidentiality of research participants is one component of research ethics that I found
to be interesting. As human beings, we are usually not willing to tell how we feel about an issue if the
statement can be attributed to us. As Oscar Wild famously said "give a man a mask and he will show his
true face", participants and volunteers will only share sensitive information if they feel that the
confidentiality will be maintained. A breach of data confidentiality occurs when data is not treated
properly, whether its storage, analysis or publication. Also, permission must be obtained before any
data that is confidential can be released.

As I am not yet sure of the final topic for my thesis, I assume that I would be collecting data including
surveys, interviews, focus group discussions etc. As there would be certain questions during the
research which would be considered sensitive from the perspective of the participants they would
prefer that I maintain their responses as confidential. I would ensure that any that collected is properly
stored, analyzed and published. For example, the hard copies of the survey results are put in a place
where they are not accessible to anyone who is not conducting the research.

I would be very careful how I design and execute the research so that the confidentiality of the
participants is maintained at each step. One such example is the survey questioner design which might
lead to the participant being identified. For example, an office where there is only one worker under the
age of 25 and the published results take the age bracket of 25 and under, this will allow the respondent
to be instantly identified. For me it would be key to follow the set guidelines for conducting research to
ensure that all the standards for data confidentiality are met.