ACADEMIA Letters Reconsidering the Research Ethics in Social Sciences Kunal Debnath, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India Souvik Chatterjee, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, India Research ethics in social sciences empowers researchers and the academic community with knowledge about accepted norms and values associated with research activity. It helps in disseminating guidance and advice to researchers about the do’s and don’ts of research. Ethics inculcates scientific vigor in a study by preventing unethical misconduct. Ethics in social sciences are primarily used as an academic tool to assess the quality of a research along with the planning of a research design, reporting, and publishing findings and results. Research ethics ties both researchers and society as a whole. Both researchers and society have independent responsibilities for ensuring that their research is for the upliftment of the humankind. Pondering upon the question of scientific vigor in research in social sciences implies a special kind of science that is ‘scientific understanding of society’. August Comte was of the opinion that it is possible to arrive at a scientific knowledge of society and it would be an exact knowledge. Each branch of our knowledge passes successively through three different theoretical conditions: the theological, or fictitious; the metaphysical, or abstract; and the scientific, or positive (Comte, 2000, p. 28). Generally scientific approach in social research was heavily stressed with the advent of positivism during the 1930s in sociology. According to Leszek Kolakowski (1972), positivism is an outlook, an approach and there are four rules of positivism. First, rule of phenomenalism. This rule tells about what appears to us or what is manifested in experience. Second, rule of nominalism. It specifically denies the existence of abstract objects – objects that do not exist in space and time. It accepts only which is based on reason. It does not accept any hypothetical idea. Third, value-free understanding. value-laden ideas or methods are to be rejected. And fourth, unity of the scientific method. Methods of natural sciences, such as quantitative, empirical, value-free, reasoning, etc., should be used in social sciences. Karl Popper, known best for his theory of falsifiability, suggests that a theory is to Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Kunal Debnath, debnathkunal@ymail.com Citation: Debnath, K., Chatterjee, S. (2021). Reconsidering the Research Ethics in Social Sciences. Academia Letters, Article 1718. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1718. 1 be considered scientific when it must be able to be observed, tested and conceivably proven false. Although the practicability of replicating the techniques of natural sciences in social studies drew several criticisms as well. For instance, Wilhelm Dilthey, a German philosopher, strongly rejected using a model formed exclusively from the natural sciences and instead proposed developing a separate model for the human sciences. His argument centered around the idea that, in the natural sciences we seek to explain phenomena in terms of cause and effect. In contrast, in the human sciences, we seek to understand in terms of the relations of the part and the whole and interpret the phenomena (Makkreel, 1993). In other words, while nature offers a field of explanation, humanity offers a field of understanding, in German what is called ‘Verstehen’ and which is based on the ‘lived experience’. We can find two conclusions from Dilthey. Firstly, distinction between human sciences and natural sciences. In the domain of nature, the rules are same, but in human society the rules vary over the time and space. Secondly, there is a difference between explanation and understanding. Since human beings are unpredictable then social sciences should not be describing or explaining in method. It should be understanding and interpreting. Even Auguste Comte, the founding figure of sociology and the pioneer of positivism, himself insisted that ‘no real observation of any kind of phenomenon is possible, except in as far as it is first directed, and finally interpreted, by some theory’ (cited in Thiele, 2002, p. 2). Rejecting the positivist techniques, social researchers rather emphasised Max Weber’s methodology of social research. He argues that all the sciences of psychological and social phenomena are science of human conduct including thoughts and attitudes of human beings, and ‘these sciences seek to “understand” this conduct and by means of this understanding to “explain” it “interpretatively”’ (Weber, 1949, p. 40). Following Weber we can say that a social science researchers must focus on quantity or a concrete idea from data collected from field; and must focus on human dimension (quality) or interpret the data or understand the data through theory.Value interpretation is important in every social science research. The term ‘research ethics’ in social science research refers to human values, norms, and societal arrangements that regulate scientific understanding of society. Research ethics is the implementation of ethical practices. Ethics specifies norms and values as well as responsibility towards the academic community and society as a whole. They are mainly regulations based on morality and accepted practices of society at large. These regulations are an indispensable part of the research which also deals with empowering academicians, knowledge formation and dissemination, and most importantly uplifting the society. Because of these such regulations, ethics are applied to both the social and natural sciences research; whether it deals with basic, applied, or case studies in general. Ethics in social science research mainly Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Kunal Debnath, debnathkunal@ymail.com Citation: Debnath, K., Chatterjee, S. (2021). Reconsidering the Research Ethics in Social Sciences. Academia Letters, Article 1718. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1718. 2 governs activities related to systematic acquisition and processing of information about individuals, groups, or society to develop new knowledge in a new form. Research ethics in social sciences emphasises social values and norms that intend to provide accurate, adequate and relevant knowledge. The role of research ethics is to ensure integrity, accountability, impartiality to improve both scientific vigor as well researchers’ responsibility towards society. It guarantees that the individuals or the group who take part in the research are treated with respect, human dignity, confidentiality, free and informed consent, etc. Generally, ethical norms are consisting of internal responsibility towards self and academia. The external regulation focuses on the inter-relationship between research and society. However, when regulations are in opposition to each other it’s become imperative to balance between the two. Researchers need to ensure both society’s needs and the quest for new knowledge are fulfilled simultaneously. As social research deals with human values and humankind, the nature of research sometimes raises completely new questions where the recognised social norms are not. In such cases, Research ethics helps significantly to clarify ethical dilemmas. C. W. Mills (1959) in his studyprescribed certain formulations on ethical/moral dimensions of social sciences research. First, when you are studying micro-level, then do not cut yourself from the macro level; second, when you are picking up a problem then do not put any personal biases into the problem; third, do not lose a sense of history. Empirical social science is based on the existing phenomenon, but do not cut yourself from history; and fourth, do not allow the findings of your research to be affected by things that are not directly related to your research. Like any research activity, social studies have an impact on society. Social research aims to provide necessary information for decision-making and allocation of resources amongst the public. Social research also sheds light on choices available for individuals and groups to fulfill their societal needs. Additionally, it helps us to explore values and norms and disclose underlying power structures. On the other hand, research ethics substantiate and ensure values, standards are maintained in research. The focus of social studies is just allocation of resources based on the best interests of society. In this aspect, ethics helps policymakers in just distribution of resources by considering different cultural traditions, facilitating different understandings, and solving complex moral dilemmas. It is often hard to agree on what is useful to society and of interest to study. However, it is very difficult to maintain ethics and scientific temperament in social research. Social sciences deal with human choices, values, actions and norms, beliefs, culture, language, etc. that are subjective in nature and highly unpredictable. In social science research the research problem may be based on, first, how socially relevant it is – sometimes researchers got tempted to believe that the social science research is empirical, fieldwork-based research, but the researchers have to identify the socially relevant topic. Second, how morally viable it is – the research should be based on proper and relevant priAcademia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Kunal Debnath, debnathkunal@ymail.com Citation: Debnath, K., Chatterjee, S. (2021). Reconsidering the Research Ethics in Social Sciences. Academia Letters, Article 1718. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1718. 3 mary and secondary sources. The social science research should not be entirely value-free but should be value-laden.Third, responsibility to the larger society – research should be a policy-oriented research. It needs a balance between academic and policy orientation. In this aspect researchers’ interpretations play the key role in research. Because of the interpretative nature of social science research the same phenomena can be observed differently by different researchers. However, the unpredictability and inconclusiveness in social science research do not imply that researchers are from the obligation towards society. They need to ensure ethical issues are properly dealt with. Despite the disagreement over what constitutes science in social sciences. Social research ethics focuses on honest documentation and impartiality as absolute requirements. In social sciences, research is greatly molded by researchers’ views on society and that might put a question on its credibility. However, in social sciences, researchers face two types of ethical problems. First, subjective problems or the problems related to the researchers themselves. And second, objective problems or the problems related to the research problems. To overcome this research ethics provides guidelines about the topics, data sources, and the balance between possible interpretations. So to improve the quality of research in social science research ethics must include critical and relevant social issues, verifiable documentation and impartial reporting. So by following the basic research ethics which are based on the moral standards of society, we can elevate the humankind. References Comte, A. (2000). The Positive philosophy of Auguste Comte (Vol. I). (H. Martineau, Trans.). Kitchener: Batoche Books. Kolakowsky, L. (1972). Positivist philosophy from Hume to the Vienna Circle. Harmondsworth: Penguin. Makkreel, R. A. (1993). Dilthey: Philosopher of the human studies, Princeton: Princeton University Press. Mills, C. W. (1959). Sociological imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Thiele, L. P. (2002). Thinking politics: Perspectives in ancient, modern, and postmodern political theory (2nd ed.). New York: Chatham House Publishers. Weber, M. (1949). Max Weber on the methodology of the social sciences. (E. A. Shils, & H. A. Finch, Eds., E. A. Shils, & H. A. Finch, Trans.). Glencoe: The Free Press. Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Kunal Debnath, debnathkunal@ymail.com Citation: Debnath, K., Chatterjee, S. (2021). Reconsidering the Research Ethics in Social Sciences. Academia Letters, Article 1718. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1718. 4