which of the ethical standards listed below is believed is the most important for researchers to follow.

Question

which of the ethical standards listed below is believed is the most important for researchers to follow. In the argument, you will need to draw connections between the ethical standards and about the importance of research ethics.

-Competence

-Representation and Misuse of Expertise

-Delegation and Supervision

-Discrimination

-Exploitation

-Harassment

-Conflicts of Interest and Commitment

-Public Communications

-Confidentiality

-Informed Consent

-Research Planning, Implementation, and Dissemination

Answer 1

While each of these standards are imperative, I would argue that confidentiality and/or informed consent are the most important of the above list. Confidentiality is paramount, as it protects the identity of your participants, ensures their information will not be traced back to them or made public without their consent, and shields them from any responses (negative or positive) to the research you are conducting. It allows your participants to have autonomy over the extent, timing, and circumstances of revealing their personal information; to not respect confidentiality would entirely undermine the validity of your research, as it would be unequivocally unethical.

Along the same lines, informed consent is of the utmost importance: no human being should be involved in your research without their informed consent. Participants should be informed about the extent of the research you are conducting -- and informed clearly enough (particularly with individuals in marginalized or compromised positions, such as incarcerated individuals or those who do not speak the relevant language) that they may give true consent. Obtaining informed consent also protects participants against undue influence or bias of the researcher. Once again, research conducted without the informed consent of participants is unethical and irrelevant to the field.