Cover not available
Part of
Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship
Edited by Peter I. De Costa, Amr Rabie-Ahmed and Carlo Cinaglia
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 7] 2024
► pp. 330–342

Chapter 18
Research ethics and decisions

Cases of engagement and science communication

| Indiana State University,
Within academia, we often compartmentalizes our work into research, service, and teaching. This creates an illusion of separation, neglecting the interconnectedness of these activities. A typical day involves a blend of tasks — meetings, mentoring, teaching, emails — sometimes leaving limited time for research, the very activity that often defines our scholarly value. Thus a conundrum exists: How can we excel in research if its time allotment is constantly squeezed by other necessary duties? Further complicating matters, these pressures can push scholars towards ethically questionable research practices (QRPs) with far-ranging outcomes.
This chapter explores this very issue by discussing two non-research projects, one in community engagement and another in science communication. Both projects aligned with my scholarly role, yet presented unforeseen ethical dilemmas. While not being ‘research’ in the traditional sense, both projects had an impact on my ability to ethically conduct research. By discussing the challenges that arose during these projects, the chapter highlights the importance of understanding research decision making and how decisions made in one sphere of our academic lives can impact others.
Article outline
  • Contextualizing ethics
    • Community engagement, science communication, and research ethics
  • Ethics-in-practice
    • The projects and issues
    • Migrant farm education project
    • Teacher training
  • Commentary and reflection
    • Resolving the ethical issues
    • Implications
  • Author queries
  • References
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
References (14)
References
Anjos, S., Russo, P., & Carvalho, A. (2021). Communicating astronomy with the public: Perspectives of an international community of practice. Journal of Science Communication, 20(3), A11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Antes, A. L., Murphy, S. T., Waples, E. P., Mumford, M. D., Brown, R. P., Connelly, S., & Devenport, L. D. (2009). A meta-analysis of ethics instruction effectiveness in the sciences. Ethics & Behavior, 19(5), 379–402. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bigelow, M., & Tarone, E. (2004). The role of literacy level in second language acquisition: Doesn’t who we study determine what we know? TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 689–700. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Burns, T. W., O’Connor, D. J., & Stocklmayer, S. M. (2003). Science communication: A contemporary definition. Public Understanding of Science, 12(2), 183–202. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gass, S., & Sterling, S. (2017). Ethics in ISLA. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 577–595). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Guillemin, M., & Gillam, L. (2004). Ethics, reflexivity, and “ethically important moments” in research. Qualitative Inquiry, 10(2), 261–280. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Haggerty, K. D. (2004). Ethics creep: Governing social science research in the name of ethics. Qualitative Sociology, 27(4), 391–414. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Msoroka, M. S., & Amundsen, D. (2018). One size fits not quite all: Universal research ethics with diversity. Research Ethics, 14(3), 1–17. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sanders Thompson, V. L., Ackermann, N., Bauer, K. L., Bowen, D. J., & Goodman, M. S. (2021). Strategies of community engagement in research: Definitions and classifications. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 11(2), 441–451. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Simis, M. J., Madden, H., Cacciatore, M. A., & Yeo, S. K. (2016). The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication? Public Understanding of Science, 25(4), 400–414. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Steneck, N. (2004). ORI introduction to the responsible conduct of research, 2004. Retrieved on 26 June 2024 from [URL]
Steneck, N., & Bulger, R. (2007). The history, purpose, and future of instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Academic Medicine, 82(9), 829–834. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S., & Gass, S. (2017). Exploring the boundaries of research ethics: Perceptions of ethics and ethical behaviors in applied linguistics research. System, 70, 50–62. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yaw, K., Plonsky, L., Larsson, T., Sterling, S., & Kytö, M. (2023). Timeline: Research ethics in Applied Linguistics. Language Teaching, 56(4), 478–494. DOI logoGoogle Scholar