Ethical Issues in Research in Art, Design and Media

Compared with other, more established subject areas, art, design and media are relatively new research disciplines, and have only recently begun to tackle the issue of ethical implications of research.  In some cases, ethical guidelines associated with other disciplines have provided a good basis for addressing many such issues, but increasingly researchers are becoming aware of ethical dilemmas that are specific both to the subject domains and to the particular research practices emerging in this area.  For example, the taking or use of visual images without the knowledge or consent of the subjects involved.

The purpose of this research is to enhance research training by giving specific attention to these research issues.  This will be achieved through the development of a series of case studies that will highlight the ethical dilemmas faced in typical research projects, and consider possible means of addressing them.

My role in the project is to collate, analyse and write up case examples of ethical issues in art, design and media in a form that can be used in workshops with doctoral students, and also published online.  I plan to achieve this is by interviewing researchers, both doctoral and post-doctoral, who have faced ethical dilemmas in their research that they feel are specific to the subject; these may or may not have been resolved.  The interviews may be face to face, by phone, or using email.  Where practical, I hope, with the interviewees consent, to audio record the interviews.  I will use an interpretive narrative approach in which I will write a first account of the case example, focusing on the ethical aspects, and will then return to the researcher to confirm my understanding and interpretation.

Of course, this research project has its own ethical implications that we intend to address with these procedures:

- the confidentiality of research contributors, their participants, and any specific issues identified by the researchers will be respected, and will be preserved in the final written account

- any written account, or any other dissemination of the material supplied by the researchers, will ensure that the anonymity of both the contributors and any others involved will be maintained and protected

- any written interpretation of case examples or other material will be discussed with contributors and confirmed as a true account before it is disseminated

- no material provided will be used in any way without the prior consent of contributors.

The first stage in the process is to identify appropriate research projects that would be amenable to this approach.  If you are engaged in research that has involved such ethical issues, or if you know of a colleague or student in that position who would who would be willing to share their experiences with us, then please contact Darren or Anne.

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Anne Boultwood
5 December 2005