Qualitative Research in the Social/Behavioural Sciences and Humanities

By Laurel Evans, Barrister & Solicitor, Former Senior Ethics Advisor (MREB)

Research in the Social Behavioural Sciences and in the Humanities poses unique challenges to the research ethics process. The history of research ethics has largely been driven by the requirements of bio-medical research, where participant risk is generally higher, and more likely to be physical, and where the research study has clearly defined commencement and ending dates.

In qualitative research the reality is that in most cases, the risk of harm to participants, in the sense of physical injury is slight. Additionally, the “risk-benefit” analysis is not straightforward in qualitative research projects. The complications are due, in part, to the fact that often the benefits of the research are to the academic or general community whereas the risks, as slight as they may be, are generally borne by the research participant. The challenge for research ethics in the social-sciences and the humanities is to find the correct balance between ensuring that participants are not harmed, and that research is not negatively affected by the review process and the recommendations of the ethics Board.

Despite the general truth that harms to participants in social sciences research are usually slight, it is important to note that potential harms in research are not just physical injury, they include other harms such as possible psychological, social or economic harms, and possible infringements to participant’s privacy rights. The history of psychological research for instance reveals that in that research arena, there has been a number of controversial research projects where the potential risks to the participants have been substantial. See, for example, the “Tearoom Trade” sex study, the “Obedience to Authority” study and the “Stanford Prison” experiment.

Studies have revealed a tendency for behavioural researchers to have less favourable attitudes towards research ethics than their bio-medical counterparts, and part of the reason for this is that although very little research is in fact turned down by Research Ethics Boards, the review process often requires modifications to research protocols and to informed consents. These modifications often have greater impact upon qualitative research than they would have on bio-medical research.

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