PPT presentation on Research Ethics

1. Research Ethics
COM 4550 Chapter 2

2. Avoiding Plagiarism
• “Stealing the ideas of others and presenting
them as your own” (Brydon & Scott, 2006, p.
85)
• Brydon & Scott’s 3 types of plagiarism:
– Total rip-off
– Partial rip-off
– Accidental rip-off
• The solution: Document everything!

3. Cite a Source for:
• Ideas you never thought of before.
• Information you learned from the author.
• Information that’s not commonly known.
• Quoted material.
• Unusual wording or phrases.
A good rule of thumb: When in doubt, cite a source.
Citing credible sources builds your credibility.

4. In APA, Cite In-Text Sources by:
• Direct quotation: Use “xxxxx” and give the author’s
last name, year, and page number.
• Paraphrase: Put the author’s thoughts into your own
words (i.e., substantially reword the material) and
give the author’s last name & year.
• If you’re confused, ask your professor or a librarian.

5. Example 1-A:
The original:
• “The visual behavior of 320 elevator riders was
observed by two experimenters, one male and one
female” (Zuckerman, Miserandino, Bernieri, 1983, p.
381).
An effort at restating:
• The visual behavior of over 300 elevator riders was
noted by two experimenters, one male and one
female (Zuckerman et al., 1983).
Plagiarism

6. Example 1-B:
The original:
• “The visual behavior of 320 elevator riders was
observed by two experimenters, one male and one
female” (Zuckerman, Miserandino, Bernieri, 1983, p.
381).
An effort at restating:
• A male and a female observer each recorded eye
behavior of 320 people riding public elevators
(Zuckerman et al., 1983).
Acceptable Paraphrase

7. Example 2-A:
The original:
• “Once the existence of civil inattention is established,
it is interesting to speculate on variations and
exceptions to the rule” (Zuckerman et al., 1983, p.
386).
An effort at restating:
• Once civil inattention is established, one can
speculate on exceptions to the rule.
PlagiarismAnd no reference/documentation!

8. Example 2-B:
The original:
• “Once the existence of civil inattention is established,
it is interesting to speculate on variations and
exceptions to the rule” (Zuckerman et al., 1983, p.
386).
An effort at restating:
• Zuckerman et al. (1983) speculated on several
reasons why civil inattention may not always occur.
Acceptable Paraphrase

9. Suggestions for Paraphrasing
• Read a passage & ask yourself, “What’s the point?” (i.e.,
“what point is the author trying to make?”)
• Without looking at the original, try to put the ideas in
your own words.
• Re-read the original and your paraphrase:
– The sentence structure should sound different.
– Choice of words should be substantially different.
– Remember: If the idea or information is unique to
the author, you still need to give his/her name & year.

10. Paraphrase the Following:
Original:
• “Finally, the extent to which civil inattention is
expected and practiced may vary across cultures.
Perhaps in cultures mandating close physical contact
among interactants, civil inattention would be
considered a cold and relatively impolite behavior;
conversely, there may be cultures in which civil
inattention implies too much intimacy between
strangers” (Zuckerman et al., 1983, p. 386).

11. Other Ethical Issues
• In order for a book/article to be included in your lit
review & reference list, you must have seen the
book/article yourself.
• Do not trust another person’s interpretation of a
work.
• Get the article for yourself, read/skim it, and then
paraphrase or quote from it (& include it in your
reference list).
• Listing references you have not actually seen is
academic dishonesty.

12. Protecting Your Participants
• Since 1991, the federal government requires
all researchers who work with humans in their
study to receive institutional approval for their
research before conducting the study—
The IRB (Institutional Review Board)

13. Trevecca’s IRB (2015-2016)
• Representative, School of Education Ruth Cox (chair)
• Representative, Library Ruth Kinnersley
• Representative, School of Theology & Christian Ministry Steve Hoskins
• Representative, School of Business & Technology Jea Agee
• Representative, School of Business & Technology Allen Jinnette
• Representative, School of Education Marcia Walker
• Representative, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences Amanda Grieme Bradley
• Representative, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences Terry Pruitt
• Representative, Department of English Michael Karounos
• Representative, Department of Science & Math Yanice Mendez-Fernandez
• Representative, Department of Science & Math Sam Stueckle
• Representative, Department of Science & Math Matthew Huddleston
• Representative, Graduate Physician Assistant Joy Twillie
• Representative, Graduate Master of Org’l. Leadership Richard Parrott
• Representative, Graduate Counseling (PhD) James Schut
• Representative, EdD Leadership Alice Patterson
• Representative, PhD Clinical Counseling Susan Lahey
• Off-campus Representative TBN

14. IRB Approval
• Researchers must ensure participants’
– Freedom of choice (i.e., voluntary participation;
informed consent).
– Safety (risks & benefits of being in the study).
– Right to privacy (i.e., anonymity or confidentiality)
– Right to respect (i.e., treating subjects as human
beings)
– Debriefing, if needed

15. What This Means for COM Researchers
at Trevecca
• Particularly relates to research conducted in COM
4800 Senior Project in Communication Studies.
• You must complete the IRB tutorial before you can
conduct your research project.
• Your instructor will submit a request for Trevecca’s
IRB to approve your study before you can begin
gathering data.
• You can work on your review of literature, develop a
survey, etc., but you can not begin surveying/
interviewing/observing people until the IRB says so!