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Ethics in Social Sciences on humans by all disciplines of sciences
have many things in common. And research-
ers need to respect and protect the human
S elf-regulation and ethics have been for social sciences (the ICSSR, etc), their I.1 There has been a steady growth of
issues for debate within research institutions, nor the national bodies for research in the social sciences, and in
more often in medicine than in social higher education such as the UGC have health, health care and medicine in India.
sciences. This is, at least partly because published comprehensive guidelines for A wide range of research of topics and
historically ethics has been used as a research in social sciences. Elsewhere issues, including those which have poten-
defining principle for medicine. In recent however there has been growing pressure tial to seriously invade the privacy and
years there has been a steady growth of on social science professionals to self- security of individuals, are being studied.
concern for ethics in medical research in regulate and evolve their own codes of The methodologies employed for such
India. Many socially conscious groups conduct. Universities have also made ef- research have also expanded both in range
(such as women’s groups, health activists’ forts to establish formal guidelines to pro- and in depth. There is considerable in-
groups) have been confronted with issues tect student research and their exploitation crease in the types and numbers of in-
of ethics in the course of their work. They by the teachers. dividuals and organisations undertak-
have had to bring into public focus un- Our preliminary survey of ethical guide- ing such research, and those sponsoring
ethical conduct of medical research. These lines in the social sciences in different and funding it.
issues have also attracted media attention. developed countries, shows that a number I.2 There has been a growing concern
In 1980 the Indian Council of Medical of proposed associations of sociologists, for indifference and ignorance of ethics
Research (ICMR) adopted its first code anthropologists, political scientists, psy- in some of the social science research
of ethics entitled ‘Policy Statement on chologists, etc, have formulated and re- conducted in India. Inadequate ethical self-
Ethical Considerations Involved in Re- fined their ethical guidelines in the last regulation could hamper autonomy of
search on Human Subjects’. These guide- three decades. Not only that, in the last researchers, quality of research and vio-
lines are currently undergoing revision. A one and half decades there have been late the rights of participants. In general,
consultative document was published in attempts by the associations of different it could lower the respect for and social
1997 but the new guidelines are yet to be social science disciplines to evolve joint commitment of the social science research
formally released. guidelines. Most important so far have in general and health research in particular.
While it is true that real improvement been the efforts to evolve common ethical I.3 Enunciation of ethical principles and
in the standards of quality and of ethics guidelines by medical, social science and formulation of necessary guidelines/rules
in research need more effort than the mere natural science disciplines. For instance, for research are, therefore necessary and
drafting of ethical guidelines, the very pro- the Medical Research Council of Canada, desirable.
cess of evolving such guidelines has an the Natural Sciences and Engineering I.4 The ethical guidelines proposed here
educational value and often empowers the Research Council of Canada and the Social are the voluntary effort of individuals in-
individual researchers to resist pressures. Sciences and Humanities Research Coun- volved in social science and health re-
In the social sciences, interest in ethics cil of Canada appointed a joint committee search, and reflects their concern for the
is only now emerging. Although many (called Tri-Council Working Group) to prevailing situation and desire to improve it.
social scientists have paid serious atten- formulate ‘The Code of Ethical Conduct They are proposed for the following purposes:
tion to the appropriate conduct of research for Research Involving Humans’. In 1997,
(i) To prompt discussions in the society,
and have set personal examples, such im- these three councils adopted the Tri-Council among the researchers and all others di-
portant issues are hardly discussed as ethics report as a common code of ethics. Similar rectly/indirectly connected to research for
and little effort has been made to formalise processes are also underway elsewhere. the need to observe ethics in research, and
a code of conduct for researchers. As far These developments emphasise the fact to collectively evolve adequate and prac-
as we know, neither the national councils that the principles governing all research tical ethical guidelines as well as some