Ethics: Informed Consent or Misinformed Compliance

Sue Robson

Discusses how the MRS Code of Conduct applies to qualitative research. Argues that the Code appears to have been devised mainly with quantitative research in mind, and seems not to cover certain qualitative research practices which seem ethically questionable.
  

Ethics: Informed Consent or Misinformed Compliance?

Sue Robson The Qualitative Consultancy

INTRODUCTION

I think the possibility of giving this paper first occurred to me when I was writing my 1988 Conference paper with Judith Wardle on the effect observers can have when attending group discussions (Robson & Wardle 1988).

We were conscious of Rule A1 of the MRS Code of Conduct:

Any statement made to secure co-operation and all assurances given to an informant, whether oral or/written, shall be factually correct and honoured.

We were also aware that many...

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