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RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT

Here you will find an overview and further information about the FDZ Ruhr's support services for research data management.

Research ethics refers to the moral and ethical principles that should be followed when conducting research projects and studies. It is a systematic review and reflection on the moral aspects of research processes and outcomes to ensure that they are ethical and morally defensible.

The observance of research ethics is crucial to ensure that research results are trustworthy and meaningful, and that participants and society are protected from harm. Therefore, researchers are usually required to conduct an ethical evaluation of their research project prior to implementation, to ensure that they comply with the principles of research ethics.

What aspects does research ethics involve?

Research ethics encompasses many different aspects, including:

  • The protection of the privacy and confidentiality of participants.
  • The protection of animals and other living organisms used in research
  • The prevention of scientific misconduct, including falsification and plagiarism
  • The disclosure of conflicts of interest or funding relationships
  • The avoidance of discrimination and inequality in research
  • The responsibility to publish and make publicly available the results of research.

KonsortSWD, the NFDI consortium for social, behavioural, educational and economic sciences provides recommendations for action and best practice examples for adherence to ethical principles in empirical research. In addition, KonsortSWD provides a regularly updated overview of the landscape of local ethics committees in the social and economic sciences in Germany.

When is the opinion of an ethics committee required?

An opinion from an ethics committee is usually required when a research study or project is conducted on humans or animals, as this raises potential risks and ethical issues. An ethics committee is a group of experts who review the ethical aspects of the research project independently of the research group and issue an opinion.

Here are some examples of when an ethics committee opinion may be required:

  • If people are involved as participants in the research study, ethical concerns related to their protection and privacy must be considered. An ethics committee may consider whether consent has been properly obtained from participants, whether the risk to participants is minimal and whether the project has potential benefits.
  • If animals are used in the research, the ethics committee must ensure that animal suffering is minimised and that the study is only conducted if there are no alternatives.
  • If the research may touch on sensitive issues such as ethnicity, religion or sexuality, the ethics committee must ensure that participants are protected from stigma or discrimination.
  • If the research has financial interests, such as being sponsored by a company, the ethics committee must ensure that there are no conflicts of interest that could influence the results

Contact:

If you have any questions about research data management, please contact Philip Raatz: