Ethics in Research

Codes of ethics have been established to guide researchers. There are three key ethical
principles combined into most guidelines. These are beneficence, respect for human dignity, and
justice. Beneficence encompasses the safety and security of participants from physical and
psychological harm, from exploitation, and the performance of standard considered in doing
research. In deciding to conduct this study, the researcher carefully weighs the risk/benefit ratio
of participation to individuals by carefully analyzing each step in the research process, and also
evaluating the risks to participants against potential benefits to society, by considering the
advantages of its application to the industry. Respect for human dignity involves the
participants’ right to self-determination, which means participants have the freedom to control
their own activities, including study participation In this study, their availability to participant is
primarily considered. Respect for human dignity also encompasses the right to full disclosure,
which means that the researcher have fully described to its prospective participants their rights
and the full nature of the study, that they only have answer based on their experience and will not
be force if they did not want to pursue the interview or in any phase of the research. When full
disclosure poses the risk of biased results, the researcher sometimes use covert data collection or
concealment (the collection of information without the participants’ knowledge or consent) or
deception (either withholding information from participants or providing false information). If
deception or concealment is deemed necessary, extra precautions should be used to minimize
risks and protect other rights. However, in this study, the researcher ensures that there has been
no use of concealment or deception. Justice includes the right to fair treatment (both in the
selection of participants and during the course of the study) as stated in the methodology under
participant and the right to privacy as expressed in the privacy law of the Philippines (RA 10173
otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012). In this study, Privacy is maintained through
anonymity (wherein not even researchers know participants’ identities) by assigning codes or
through formal confidentiality procedures that safeguard the information participants provide by
destroying the audio recording once the data is already transcribed and analyzed. Informed
consent procedures, which provide prospective participants with information needed to make a
reasoned decision about participation, where in this study, it normally involve signing a consent
form to document voluntary and informed participation.

As this is a qualitative study, consent is continually renegotiated with its participants as

the study evolves, through process consent. Vulnerable subjects require additional protection,
though these are absent in this study as all participants are not considered vulnerable. These
people may be vulnerable because they are not able to make a truly informed decision about
study participation (e.g., children); because their circumstances make them believe free choice is
constrained (e.g., prisoners); or because their circumstances heighten the risk of physical or
psychological harm (e.g., pregnant women, the terminally ill). External review of the ethical
aspects of a study by a human subjects committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB) is
required by the university where the researcher studies.
 As explained by the IRB,iIn studies in which risks to participants are minimal, an
expedited review (review by a single member of the IRB) may be substituted for a full board
review; in cases in which there are no anticipated risks, the research may be exempted from
review. Researchers are always advised, even in the absence of an IRB review, to consult with at
least one external adviser whose perspective allows an objective evaluation of the ethics of a
proposed study. Researchers need to give careful thought to ethical requirements throughout the
study’s planning and implementation and to ask themselves continually whether safeguards for
protecting humans are sufficient.