Ethics and nursing research. 2: Examination of the research process

In this article, the second in a series on ethics in nursing research, the author explores the relationship between the guiding ethical principles and the steps of the research process. In the first article (Vol 8(13): 888-92) the two dominant theories of ethics, utilitarianism and deontology, along with the guiding principles of beneficence/non-maleficence and respect for human dignity, justice, informed consent and vulnerable subjects were discussed as they relate to the rights of individuals undergoing the research. In this article, the author describes the association between these principles and the elemental steps of the research process which are: the selection of the research problem; data collection; sampling; informed consent; data analysis; and research presentation. The ethical conduct of many of these research steps is guided by ethics committees but for those that are not nurses need to rely on their own integrity, honesty and committment to the current prevailing ethical principles.