Three Ethical Hoops: Vulnerable and Sensitive subjects; ‘Insider’ Conflicts; and the Ethics of Impact

The purpose of this workshop is to encourage students to think of ethics as a continuum in their research project: it is not a set of questions to answer for a form at the outset, but a moral compass for the whole project and beyond. This workshop will provide students with a toolkit to tackle the ethics of researching potentially vulnerable groups on sensitive topics and highlights key considerations. However, it goes beyond obtaining ethical approval and shows students why they have a duty to refer to their ethical position throughout the research; questioning and adjusting as they go. A case study will provide some insight into potential ethical considerations, including how to navigate insider research. This workshop will provide practical case studies and encourage group participation to work through some of the nuances of being ethically-minded throughout your research and beyond. Using a collaborative community art project as an example (www.glasswallsart.com), it will consider the ethics of research impact and how to disseminate research findings in an ethically appropriate way.