The San Code of Research Ethics (original) (raw)
Related papers
Humanities & social sciences communications, 2024
After a 3-year development process and several drafts, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has submitted its proposed Code of Conduct for Research (proposed CCR) to the South African Information Regulator for its consideration and approval. When approved, the proposed CCR will be an important legal instrument that will complement the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) in governing research activity in the countryincluding data sharing by South African researchers with their collaborators in other countries. The proposed CCR resolves important issues that were present in previous drafts. However, three important issues require attention: (1) how the identifiability of data subjects is to be determined in research data; (2) how research data can be repurposed for commercial use; and (3) how open access genomic databases should be established in the South African legal framework. In addition, the proposed CCR introduces a new issue: a legally unsustainable exception from POPIA application for genetic data. All these issues considered, the proposed CCR needs revision ahead of its approval by the Information Regulator. Recommendations are made on how to resolve the remaining issues.
Ethical Codes in Research in Africa: The Call for Flexibility and Context Specificity
African journal of humanities and social sciences, 2022
The argument put across in this paper is that, tracing the historical antecedents of the introduction of ethics in research, a strong case can and must be made for research in all fields, whether the natural or social sciences. However, researchers' ethical codes must not be cast-in-stone but must be context specific. This means that ethical codes must be very flexible and escape routes must be permitted for certain kinds of studies, especially in the humanities, where societal dynamics and demand may necessitate the bypassing of certain ethical codes. While doing so, a laissez faire approach must be avoided and monitoring measures must be put in place to curtail abuse. This will allow specific studies being conducted in specific societies to proceed without the challenges created by the need to observe stringent ethical codes. The paper traces the introduction of ethics in research to various historical antecedents in order to make a case for the need for ethics in social research for instance. It is not a holistic objection of the observation of ethical codes and the establishment of ethical boards in academic institutions for instance, but the call for flexibility, balance and context-specificity.
Research Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas in the South African Context
Postgraduate Study in South Africa- Surviving and Succeeding, 2016
The universal values of respect and care for fellow human beings lie central to research ethics. Due to the fallible nature of mankind, these values need to be pronounced and even inscribed, and hence, as researchers, we need to have ethical
Research Ethics Committees In Africa: Authors' Reply
PLoS …, 2007
Solomon Benatar In response to the case study by Kass et al. on research ethics committees (RECs) in Africa [1], the following additional information is provided about capacity building for research ethics in South Africa. South Africa has two programs funded by the Fogarty ...
Social Science Research Ethics in Africa
Research Ethics Forum, 2019
This Series, Research Ethics Forum, aims to encourage discussion in the field of research ethics and the ethics of research. Volumes included can range from foundational issues to practical issues in research ethics. No disciplinary lines or borders are drawn and submissions are welcome from all disciplines as well as scholars from around the world. We are particularly interested in texts addressing neglected topics in research ethics, as well as those which challenge common practices and beliefs about research ethics. By means of this Series we aim to contribute to the ever important dialogue concerning the ethics of how research is conducted nationally and internationally.
Applying Research Ethics Guidelines: The View from a Sub-Saharan Research Ethics Committee
Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics: An International Journal, 2007
Considerable variation has been demonstrated in applying regulations across research ethics committees (RECs) in the U.S., U.K., and European nations. With the rise of international research collaborations, RECs in developing countries apply a variety of international regulations. We conducted a qualitative descriptive pilot study with members of the national REC in Malawi to determine criteria they use to review research, and their views on international collaborations. Qualitative content analysis demonstrated that international guidelines are interpreted in light of local African conditions such that emphasis is placed on examining benefit to the community and ensuring the informed consent process translates concepts in locally-meaningful ways. Members suggest that RECs often must comply with regulations that do not fit local conditions. Recommendations are provided for improving such international collaborations.
Finding Common Ground Consensus in Research Ethics Across the Social Sciences.
In Iphofen, R. (ed). 2017. Finding Common Ground Consensus in Research Ethics Across the Social Sciences. Emerald. pp 125-150. This chapter offers an anthropological commentary on the work of the Academy of Social Sciences’ Research Ethics Group and the process through which five generic ethical principles for social science research was created. I take an anthropological approach to the subject and follow the structure of Macdonald’s essay Making Research Ethics (2010) and I position myself in relation to the process. I discuss various features of the REGs work including the enduring influence of medicine and biomedical research ethics on the ethics and ethics governance of social science research; the absence of philosophers and applied ethicists and their incompatibility with the kind of endeavour pursued by the Research Ethics group and the antipathy many felt towards the creation of a common code resulting in a preference for generic principles. This chapter offers insight into the work of the Research Ethics Group and the creation of the five ethical principles for social science research, subsequently adopted by the Academy of Social Sciences.
Research Ethics Vol. 18(4) 281–303, 2022
The Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings (GCC) aims to stop the export of unethical research practices from higher to lower income settings. Launched in 2018, the GCC was immediately adopted by European Commission funding streams for application in research that is situated in lower and lower-middle income countries. Other institutions soon followed suit. This article reports on the application of the GCC in two of the first UK-funded projects to implement this new code, one situated in India and one in Pakistan. Through systematic ethics evaluation of both projects, the practical application of the GCC in real-world environments was tested. The findings of this ethics evaluation suggest that while there are challenges for implementation, application of the GCC can promote equity in international research collaborations.