By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 3: Evaluate ethical issues in research studies.

Analyze the ethical responsibilities researchers have to the public and to their discipline as it relates to human participants.

Analyze the ethical responsibilities researchers have to maintain intellectual honesty and integrity.

Evaluate the implications of the study if the researcher had not maintained ethical standards.

Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.

Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the identified field of study.

Complete a 6–8-page analysis in which you discuss and evaluate the possible ethical considerations found in the research articles you studied in Assessment 1.

Consider the following real news headlines of recent years:

“Case of Two KU Scientists Illustrates Growing Problem of Research Fraud.”

“Ben Carson Issues Apology for Plagiarism in His Book.”

“Plagiarism Costs Degree for Senator John Walsh.”

“Fraud Case Seen as a Red Flag for Psychology Research.”

“Decades Later, Condemnation for a Skid Row Cancer Study.”

“CNN Suspends Fareed Zakaria for Alleged Plagiarism.”

“Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Is Called Fraud.”

“German Education Minister Quits Over PhD Plagiarism.”

“Harvard Finds Scientist Guilty of Misconduct.”

“Horrific Medical Tests of Past Raise Concerns for Today.”

SHOW LESS

The list could go on and on with instances of ethical violations in research and academics from decades past. Ethics in academic and scientific writing, the ethical treatment of research participants, and research misconduct are not limited to graduate students or any particular field of study. If anything, the above list represents that unethical behavior has no boundaries and may be more complex than it seems on the surface.

We might consider the thought that if ethical decisions and behavior were obvious and easy, there would not be such a large number of known violations. Still, it is your sole responsibility to understand and perform the ethical behavior that is required of you as a learner and professional. Conducting your research in an ethical and responsible manner is a hallmark of good research.

Preparation

Use two of the research articles you found in Assessment 1. Contemporary published research articles seldom have looming ethical concerns; however, all researchers are solely responsible for their ethical conduct. This not only includes the ethical treatment of participants but also ethics in being truthful about all research procedures and reporting the findings. Reread two of the articles from Assessment 1; pay special attention to the ethical concerns the researchers had to consider when carrying out the study.

Using the Capella University Library resources, find and read at least four articles regarding ethics in research.

Instructions

In 6–8 pages, write an analysis in which you complete the following:

Begin your paper with an introduction, Explain the purpose of the paper and its contents.

Start with a general discussion of important ethical concerns of conducting research using human participants.

Make sure to touch on the ethical treatment of participants and the importance of other ethical behavior required of researchers.

Using your research articles from Assessment 1, identify and analyze the ethical considerations the researchers would have had while planning, conducting, and presenting their research.

Note that you are not being asked to find ethical violations but, rather, to identify the aspects of the research where the researchers would have had to exercise ethical behavior, such as in the sampling procedure.

Discuss what might have happened if the researchers had not been ethical.

Discuss ethical issues you encounter in your professional life or psychology specialization and how those can be avoided or handled.

End your paper with a summary and conclusion.

Additional Requirements

As much as possible, the assessment should be written in your own words; it may include paraphrased information that is properly cited in the current APA style.

If you need to quote, do so sparingly, and make sure you have cited quoted material according to the current APA style.

Your assessment needs to demonstrate your understanding of the material, not how well you can quote someone else’s work.

Write in a professional tone, without writing errors.

Include a title page and references page, using the current APA style.

Write 6–8 pages with 1-inch margins, plus a title page and references page. An abstract is not required.

Include at least 4 current scholarly or professional resources.

Use APA-style headings to organize your paper.

Use Times New Roman font, 12 point.

Double space.