bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laying the cornerstone of construct validity theory: Herbert Feigl’s influence on early specifications
Authors: Slaney Kathleen L.
Published: January 2012

Although the theoretical foundations of construct validity theory have been fairly well described, there remains equivocation over what should properly be taken to be its philosophical underpinnings, with some characterizing it as an essentially positivist enterprise, others identifying a realist philosophy underlying the theory, and others still characterizing its foundations as containing elements of both positivist and realist thinking. This paper summarizes recent work representing each of these three different stances on the philosophical foundations of construct validity theory. Explicit connections are drawn between the work of Herbert Feigl—who pioneered a philosophy of science whose roots lay in logical positivism, but which contained notably realist overtones—and early specifications of construct validity theory. Finally, an appeal is made for a realist interpretation of construct validity theory based both on the connections between early articulations of the theory and key Feiglian ideas and also on Cronbach and Meehl’s later reflections on the origins of their influential work.
What Ricoeur’s hermeneutics reveal about self and identity and aesthetic experience
Authors: Akerman Sean , Ouellette Suzanne C.
Published: January 2012

By analyzing eminent artists’ depictions of their experiences as taken from too-long-neglected interviews with Sigmund Koch and juxtaposing these with Ricoeur’s regressive and progressive hermeneutics and contemporary concerns in narrative psychology, the authors open new avenues of inquiry into self, identity, and art. Using interviews with Toni Morrison and Arthur Miller, they demonstrate how the creative process involves a concurrent interrogation and dislocation of the self, as well as a moral responsibility to a collective other. While the artists engage in regressive and progressive processes in their art, they also engage in the same processes in telling about their lives and their art. These enable transformative experiences for an artist’s sense of self and identity as well as the genesis of creative work. The regressive and progressive processes hold true not only for Toni Morrison and Arthur Miller, but also for other artists and individuals negotiating the long-term tasks of development.
Structural design of a frog-like hopping robot with consideration of vibration and its kinematic analysis
Authors: Jianjun Yao , Xiangquan Tan , Shenghai Hu
Published: January 2012

A natural frog was taken as the research target to develop a frog-like hopping robot. Based on the analysis of the physiological structure and jumping abilities of a frog, a frog-like hopping robot with five joints including a fore leg and a hind leg was developed. To reduce the shock and vibration influence generated during the take-off and the landing phase of the robot, flexible transmission combined with spring and synchronous belt transmission is adopted. The robot model is simplified as a parallel mechanism with seven links for the state when the robot legs touch the ground. Based on the simplified model, its forward and inverse kinematics are analyzed. The robot Jacobian matrix for the state is calculated by the method of solving branched chains Jacobian matrixes.
Suppression of the stationary maglev vehicle–bridge coupled resonance using a tuned mass damper
Authors: Zhou Danfeng , Li Jie , Hansen Colin H
Published: January 2012

The coupled resonance that occurs between a maglev vehicle and an elevated bridge is a unique problem for an electromagnetic suspension maglev system when the vehicle is suspended above the bridge without moving. This problem causes the bridge to vibrate in a large amplitude, it significantly degrades the ride comfort of the maglev train, and it needs to be solved before the commercial application of the system. In this paper, the principle of the stationary vehicle–bridge coupled resonance is investigated, and it is shown that the levitation system is non-passive and it causes self-excited vibration when the first resonance frequency of the bridge approaches the critical frequency of the levitation system. To eliminate the coupled resonance, an approach using a tuned mass damper (TMD) to render passive the levitation control system is presented, and it shows that a TMD with appropriate parameters can stabilize the coupled system. A procedure for seeking out a group of suboptimal parameters of the TMD is also proposed. This procedure ensures that the designed result has a satisfactory performance as well as a reasonable stability margin. The location where the TMD should be mounted to achieve the best performance is discussed. The numerical simulation shows that the designed TMD can completely suppress the vehicle–bridge coupled resonance.
Effect of cylinder pressure on engine valve-train friction under motored and fired conditions
Authors: Mufti RA , Priest M
Published: January 2012

In the last three decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in reducing friction in the engine valve-train for better fuel economy and improved emissions. Research studies and scientists have developed complex mathematical models and advanced test rigs to understand the interaction between cam and tappet. Most of the experimental valve-train work has been carried out on motored test rig assuming there is less difference in valve-train friction under motored and fired conditions. For complete understanding of the difference of camshaft friction under motored and fired conditions, experiments have been carried out on a real engine under both conditions allowing for the first time the detailed study of the effect of cylinder pressure on exhaust camshaft friction. A new method of directly measuring camshaft friction that offers excellent accuracy is described in this article. The technique uses strain gauges to measure the torque exerted upon the camshaft drive pulley sprocket. The advantage of this method over previous techniques is the instantaneous valve-train friction as a function of crank angle can be measured, simultaneously for both inlet and exhaust camshafts, under motored and fired conditions. Experiments have been carried out for both motored and fired conditions on a single-cylinder gasoline engine. Results are presented for instantaneous and mean valve-train friction as a function of engine speed and oil temperature, indicating a decrease in friction with increase in engine speed and an increase with increase in temperature. A significant difference in valve-train friction between motored and fired conditions was found, especially for the exhaust camshaft.
Bringing Japan and Taiwan closer electronically: A look at an intercultural online synchronic chat task and its effect on motivation
Authors: Freiermuth Mark R. , Huang Hsin-chou
Published: January 2012

This study examines the motivation of 20 Japanese students of English as a foreign language (EFL) who chatted electronically with 19 Taiwanese EFL students using online synchronous chat software. In particular, we were interested in four factors that affect task-based motivation: the willingness to communicate, task attractiveness, task innovativeness, and the need to communicate in the target language. Qualitative analysis of a posttest questionnaire and the texts that students produced during their online task reveal that students were generally motivated throughout the task with respect to all four of the factors. It is suggested that well-designed online chat tasks, whereby students need to arrive at a consensus via interaction, can be very motivating to students. For teachers, electronic synchronous chat represents one more valuable tool for language teachers to facilitate interaction in the target language.
De-gendering social justice in the 21st century: An immanent critique of neoliberal capitalism
Authors: Azmanova Albena
Published: January 2012

This article presents a blueprint of a feminist agenda for the twenty-first century that is oriented not by the telos of gender parity, but instead evolves as an ‘immanent critique’ of the key structural dynamics of contemporary capitalism – within a framework of analysis derived from the tenets of Critical Theory of Frankfurt School origin. This activates a form of critique whose double focus on (1) shared conceptions of justice; and (2) structural sources of injustice, allows criteria of social justice to emerge from the identification of a broad pattern of societal injustice surpassing the discrimination of particular groups. In this light, women’s victimization is but a symptom of structural dynamics negatively affecting also the alleged winners in the classical feminist agenda of critique. The analysis ultimately produces a model of social justice in a formula of socially embedded autonomy that unites work, care, and leisure.
ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films deposition on Si substrate by thermionic vacuum arc
Authors: Özkan M , Ekem N , Balbag M Z , Pat S
Published: January 2012

ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were deposited on Si wafer using thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method. For the first time, binary semiconductor thin films were deposited by TVA. The microstructure and surface morphology of the ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were investigated using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Grain dimensions and grain size were determined by AFM measurement. Moreover, spectroscopic ellipsometer was used to characterize the refractive indices of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin film. According to experimental measurement, ZnSe nanocrystalline thin film was polycrystalline with (1 1 1), (2 2 0), and (3 1 1) preferred orientations. Refractive indices were approximately 2.50 in all visible ranges. Our results show that nanocrystalline thin films can be deposited with TVA method.
Literature, geography, law The Life and Adventures of Capt. John Avery (circa 1709)
Authors: Jones Stephanie
Published: January 2012

While Madagascar had long been known in England as a position on the world map, it was first widely and popularly dramatized as a place within stories of the English pirate Henry Every. A genealogy of Every fictions, appearing in London between about 1709 and into the 1720s, played in various and curious ways upon the rumours of this community. The Life and Adventures of Capt. John Avery, the Famous English Pirate, (rais’d from a Cabbin-Boy to a King) now in Possession of Madagascar ( circa 1709) was the first of these fictions. This article retrieves The Life and Adventures from its mere position within a range of literary, political, and historical narratives, and aims to discover what might be yielded by more closely attending to the raw and sophisticated geographical and legal terms in which Every initially became a literary legend. Analysing the central story of piracy in these terms, this article draws out the anonymous author’s suggestive and astute concern with the state-like behaviours and powers of ‘Merchants’. It argues, however, that the questioning politics of state-legitimacy that are pursued in the central narrative must be read within a sharp awareness of the intricate framing structures of the text, and more specifically, the ‘editor’s’ wry address to the prerogative of the reader, and mocking engagement with the conventions of geographical knowledge. Joining a consideration of the authenticity of state behaviour to a questioning of the authenticity of texts and forms of knowledge, The Life and Adventures must be finally read as promoting critical reading as an act of significant political importance in the first decade of the 18th century.
Memoirs for the Earth: Jacquetta Hawkes’s literary experiments in deep time
Authors: Lorimer Hayden
Published: January 2012

This article is concerned with the narration of earth processes in stories of a younger world. It centres on A Land (1951), the most notable published work of Jaquetta Hawkes, archaeologist, prehistorian, writer and journalist. The land under examination is Britain, and its island story becomes her story too. The book unfolds as an unconventional geological history of regional scenery, prehistoric life and rock formations that is at the same time an impressionistic portrayal of self through the ecstatic physical apprehension of earth forces and environmental fields. For Hawkes the storyteller, mineral memories and body memories are unlocked in tandem. This article shows how such an experimental narrative is enabled through unexpected temporal shifts, suggesting a continuum of consciousness across diverse life forms, and explores the cultural conditions, psychological theories and personal circumstances that served to inspire Hawkes the author. In the closing stages of the article, the author enters into the spirit of Hawkes’s narrative style, featuring as protagonist as well as commentator.
Uncertainty Visualizations
Authors: Dong Xiao , Hayes Caroline C.
Published: January 2012

Uncertainty is inherent in all real work contexts; it creates ambiguities that make decision making difficult. To help decision makers manage ambiguity, the authors developed and evaluated a domain-independent decision support system (DSS), the Uncertainty DSS. It is designed to help decision makers recognize situations in which uncertainty creates ambiguity in their choices and to identify information that can help reduce that ambiguity. It does so by providing an uncertainty visualization, which shows when the range of possible values for two or more alternatives overlap, indicating that one cannot identify the best alternative given the current information. To evaluate the Uncertainty DSS, the authors created a pared-down version, the Certainty DSS, which provides no uncertainty visualizations. They recruited 22 engineering designers and asked them compare alternative designs from real, ongoing design projects using no DSS, the Certainty DSS, and the Uncertainty DSS. The authors found that without the visualizations, participants did not distinguish between ambiguous and unambiguous choices. However, the Uncertainty DSS improved participants’ ability to recognize ambiguous decision situations. Additionally, it increased the likelihood that participants would form plans to seek clarifying information. These results suggest that a relatively simple visualization can change the way in which designers think about decision choices.
Guinea Pig Duties: 2. The Origin of Patients' Duties in Clinical Research
Authors: Steiner T.J.
Published: January 2012

This series of articles argues for a different relationship between investigators and subjects of clinical research based on partnership in shared aims and recognition, by each, of their duties within this partnership. This second essay describes how those duties arise and explores the basis on which, and by and to whom, they are owed. The conclusion that patients have duties in research raises a number of moral issues which, ultimately, question the concept of consent. Discussion of these will be continued in future articles.
Liability in the Law of Tort of Research Ethics Committees and Their Members
Authors: McHale J.V.
Published: January 2012

The current rise in malpractice litigation has led to concern in the research community as to the prospect of litigation against researchers. Clearly as the responsibility for the day-to-day conduct of the research falls upon the researchers they will be potentially liable should there be negligence in the conduct of the research project itself. But to what extent can the research ethics committee and its members be held liable should harm result to the research subject? How far does the prospect of the threat of litigation equate with the reality of the prospect of liability? Although the NHS research governance framework suggests that primary responsibility for the conduct of the trial is with the researcher this does not mean that REC members will be immune from actions in tort where research subjects suffer harm in the conduct of a research project approved by their NHS REC. This paper focuses upon the prospect for liability in the law of tort of NHS RECs and their members. While in practice the vast majority of such claims are unlikely to be successful members of RECs may incur resultant legal costs as a consequence of involvement in proposed litigation. It is submitted that the scope of indemnity provision provided to RECs and their members should be precisely determined, otherwise there is a real prospect that the risk of malpractice litigation may deter individuals from serving on such committees.
Guinea Pig Duties: 3. The Nature of Patients' Duties in Clinical Research
Authors: Steiner T.J.
Published: January 2012

In a series of articles, I argue for a different relationship between investigators and subjects of clinical research – one that is based on partnership in shared aims. This would require significant behavioural change since any relationship of this nature requires each partner to recognise their duties within it. This third essay examines the duties that would fall on patients in this partnership.
Where the Law and the Ethics Conflict?
Authors: Brazier Margot
Published: January 2012

An increasing number of scientists and doctors are concerned that new laws are inhibiting ethical research. This paper argues that this is not the case. Laws do not inhibit medical progress. Misunderstanding the law may do so.
Medical Research on Trial: A Reply to Steiner
Authors: Parker Colin
Published: January 2012

We consider a particular attempt to justify medical research and the practice of medicine as moral imperatives; in doing this we are led into a comparison of consequential and deontological justifications of intention and action. We conclude that the justification of research and medicine is consequential.
Guinea Pig Duties: 4. The Extent and Limits of Patients' Duties in Clinical Research
Authors: Steiner T.J.
Published: January 2012

In a series of articles, I set out my belief that investigators and subjects of research should work together in a partnership based in shared aims. Such a relationship – quite different from what is usual today – would impose duties on both partners. In earlier papers I explored the origin and nature of the duties that would fall on patients; here I examine their limits.
Ethical Issues in In-House Research: A Commentary
Authors: McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2005; 1(3): 106–107). It concerned an observational study, using video, of patient safety procedures in the theatre transfer bay. The lead researcher would conduct the study in his own department, a neighbouring NHS Trust and a local independent hospital.
Guinea Pig Duties: 5. Coercion and Inducement into Clinical Research
Authors: Steiner T.J.
Published: January 2012

What relationship between investigators and subjects of clinical research would best meet the needs and wants of both – and of society, which has an interest not only in clinical research being done but also in its being done well? This series of articles argues that investigators and subjects should work together in a partnership based in shared aims. Other relationships are possible, however, and here I examine two.
The Ethical Impact of the UK Human Tissue Act for the Foods, Cosmetics, Toiletries and Detergents Industries
Authors: Carson P. A. , Holt J. , McGrady M.
Published: January 2012

The cosmetics, detergents and food industries trial development products using healthy human volunteer studies. They also use human tissue for in vitro investigations. Hitherto, the ethics of such work has not been regulated. The UK Human Tissue Act will have legal implications on current arrangements for such studies within the industry, especially with regards to informed consent and seeking ethical review of research proposals. At present, however, it is unclear who will fund ethical review for use of ‘relevant material’ in non-medical research, and on the required status of ethics committees to review such work. The principles behind the sampling, storage and processing of ‘relevant material’ are largely identical whether it be for medical or non-medical investigations. It is argued, therefore, that this is further justification for industry and professional bodies to adopt best practice of ethical review for all studies in ‘grey areas’ outside the scope of regulations. This would follow closely those standards applied to biomedical research.
Ethical Issues in Researching New Treatments: A Commentary
Authors: McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2006; 2(1): 28). It concerned a new approach to the management of asthma in children in which there was random allocation of hospital admissions to either the untested treatment ‘B’ or the standard treatment ‘A’.
Placebos and Moral Perils for Participants
Authors: Hunter David
Published: January 2012

Research ethics committees should ensure that there has been a direct enquiry into research participants' moral and spiritual beliefs so as to ensure that volunteers are not inadvertently being led into doing things that might contravene their beliefs.
Guinea Pig Duties: 7. Contingent Rights of Patients in Clinical Research
Authors: Steiner T.J.
Published: January 2012

In these articles I have so far explored the set of duties that call upon patients to participate in clinical research as subjects of it. Here I consider whether they acquire a set of rights in consequence of participation, and what these rights may be.
The Ethics of Using the Internet to Collect Qualitative Research Data
Authors: Rodham Karen , Gavin Jeff
Published: January 2012

The practice of conducting research online is in its infancy. Consequently there is debate concerning the ethical implications of online data collection. We outline three approaches to online data collection and focus specifically on the issues of consent and anonymity of participants. We conclude that ethical issues raised when planning and implementing online data collection are no different to those raised by more traditional approaches to data collection.
Problems with Codes
Authors: Homan Roger
Published: January 2012

Ethical codes have been widely put in place by professional associations, universities and other organizations. They observe common standards and procedures which are applied and adapted to local or specialist needs. The early codes such as that of Nuremberg exclusively addressed the rights of participants. This article detects a shift in emphasis. The argument relies on a distinction between morality and ethics and it is contended that ethical codes legitimize kinds of practice that are morally unprincipled. In modern formulations of research ethics there is a tendency to abdicate responsibility for the protection of rights and interests and to pass it from researchers to participants or subjects. The concern is rather more for the security of investigators than for that of participants. It is recognized that codes are here to stay but suggestions are made to recover the spirit of Nuremberg.
Ethical Issues in Researching a Minority Group: A Commentary
Authors: McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2006; 2(2): 62). It concerned an investigation of the experiences of black African people, who are HIV positive, in the UK NHS.
Ethical Issues in Research Supervision: A Commentary
Authors: Cole David , McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2006; 2(3): 108). It concerned the supervision of Simon Shaw, a senior radiographer undertaking an MSc, whose research focused on the professional and parental response to fetal tissue abnormalities.
Further Thoughts on the Recruitment of REC Lay Members
Authors: Green Frank A
Published: January 2012

This article seeks to broaden the debate on the recruitment of REC lay members by arguing that the recruitment of good members requires that there is initially a need to heighten awareness among potential candidates of the nature of the lay contribution. The article offers a recruiting process model of: awareness; advocacy; characterization; recruitment, and training, and focuses on the first three steps in that process. The current position is that there is sparse awareness and advocacy of the role of the lay member at a time of rapid change, both in the ‘research ethics service’ and the lay contribution thereto. Thus it is seen as imperative that positive steps are taken to change this position, filling a lacuna that appears to exist. Given that the candidate pool can become larger and have a fuller understanding of the ‘research ethics service’, better recruitment and hence better-trained members should result. As a way forward, practical ways and means to do this are suggested, providing topics that will engender a wider debate and perhaps as an outcome, some new initiative.
Ethical Considerations for Psychophysiology Studies
Authors: Moore Roger A.
Published: January 2012

All psychology research should strictly adhere to ethical principles outlined by the researcher's local governing body. In the UK, this is the British Psychological Society (BPS). However, in papers advising on methodology used in psychophysiology (a research area within psychology), issues linked to ethics are rarely mentioned despite the invasive nature of this type of research. Guidelines published by local governing bodies are never mentioned. In this paper, important ethical issues in psychophysiology research are discussed with respect to BPS guidelines. Recommendations are made for ensuring ethical practice when conducting psychophysiology research. This paper is intended for those new to psychophysiology research (postgraduate and undergraduate students) and should be read in conjunction with the BPS ‘Code of ethics and conduct’.
International Exports in Body Parts: The Regulation of the Market for the Prevention of Tissue Abuse
Authors: Roy-Toole Christopher
Published: January 2012

This article is a response to the public consultation on the draft Code of Practice issued by the Human Tissue Authority on the import and export of human bodies, body parts and tissue. The question is whether the Draft Code and the Human Tissue Act go far enough to prevent the unethical acquisition and movement of human tissue. I conclude that the answer to this question is ‘no’ and go on to demonstrate how the identified deficiencies can be remedied.
Protecting the Volunteer: A Question of Law versus Ethics
Authors: Edmunds Leander A. A.
Published: January 2012

Human beings can be ethically frail under the pressure of situational forces, therefore the constraining force of the law is required. The ethics community need to have the confidence and courage to seek for the best ethical guidelines to become such constraining laws. However laws are themselves only ethical when they informed by a consensus that includes and represents the needs of the parties they are intended to protect, therefore the voice of the volunteer must be heard. Specific examples are adduced to show how the current Clinical Trials Regulations are either insufficient in their scope, or not being fully met. To conclude eight suggestions are given as to how volunteers might be better protected. These include the establishment of an independent funded body to inform and support volunteers, a volunteers charter, greater consultation with volunteers, and a change in ethos involving a more egalitarian partnership between all those involved in the development of new medicines
Unpacking the Human Tissue Act 2004
Authors: Cooke Elizabeth
Published: January 2012

The Human Tissue Act 2004 has generated considerable confusion, and is perhaps not the easiest statute to read. This paper aims to give a short guided tour of its provisions, and to highlight some of the practical issues that have already arisen since it came into operation on 1 September 2006. It does so from the point of view of University researchers, and of University RECs which may have to advise on these issues.
Research Participants' Views on Ethics in Social Research: Issues for Research Ethics Committees
Authors: Lewis Jane , Graham Jenny
Published: January 2012

The study reported in this paper explored the ethical requirements of social research participants, an area where there is still little empirical research, by interviewing people who had participated in one of five recent social research studies. The findings endorse the conceptualization of informed consent as a process rather than a one-off event. Four different dynamics of decision-making were followed by participants in terms of the timing of decisions to participate and the information on which they were based. Multiple information events were important, as was verbal as well as written information. Study participants reacted unfavourably to the idea of written consent. Although prior information was relevant to participant experience of the interview, what emerged more strongly as relevant was the behaviour of interviewers and the interviewing strategy used. The authors suggest that naturalistic, authentic approaches to information-giving are necessary, and that in scrutinizing them research ethics committees need to look not only at written information but also at verbal information giving, and how interviewer information-giving is supported by training and supervision. They suggest that committees also need to concern themselves more broadly with who will carry out interviews and the training, mentoring and monitoring in place to shape their conduct of interviews. In considering research instruments, research ethics committees need to consider not only whether interviewers will capture accurate and appropriate data but also whether they are likely to lead to a satisfactory interaction for participants. Given the impossibility of anticipating each individual participants information needs and their reaction to the interviewing strategy, the authors suggest that interviewers and participants need to be encouraged to negotiate the conduct of interviews jointly, and discuss how such negotiating roles might be supported.
Techno-Research and Cyber-Ethics: Challenges for Ethics Committees
Authors: Haigh Carol , Jones Neil
Published: January 2012

The development of the internet and other communications technologies over the past decade have seen a corresponding growth in the development and use of technologically-based research methodologies. This paper explores issues arising from the new technology which impact on ethics committees and how these might be addressed. Whilst some ethical issues are comparable in both online and offline worlds there are some elements of the techno-research which require extra consideration. Although ethics guidelines can be found on the worldwide web the onus remains upon techno-researchers and ethics committee members to collaborate in deciding upon the ethical dilemmas and the rigour of proposed techno-research solutions.
Ethical Issues in Data Collection: A Commentary
Authors: McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2007; 3 (2): 53). John Harris is investigating the effectiveness of a new regime for the treatment rheumatoid arthritis. His role involves asking patients to fill out a questionnaire that normally takes about 35 minutes to complete. The case study outlines three events: a patient whose eyesight is poor, another who cannot read and a receptionist who is discovered reading some of the completed questionnaires.
Ethics of Research in Clinical Emergencies: UK Regulation Inconsistent with European Law
Authors: Bone Michael F.
Published: January 2012

In December 2006 there was an amendment to the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004, the statutory instrument that translated the European directive into UK law. I will demonstrate how the European directive stifled much needed clinical research in urgent critical states whilst there is an international consensus that research in these situations be allowed. The amendments to the UK Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 in allowing such exception have failed to preserve the high degree of respect and protection of the participants' interest as reflected in the spirit of the numerous guidelines, conventions and laws appertaining to the ethics of research in clinical emergencies.
Governing Human Genetic Databases, Biobanks and Research Tissue Banks
Authors: Gibbons Susan M.C.
Published: January 2012

This paper reports on a recent symposium seminar series entitled ‘Governing genetic databases – collection, storage and use’ hosted by the Ethox Centre at the University of Oxford. It outlines the inadequacy of the current UK framework for governing genetic databases and biobanks and some of the implications of this. It then briefly describes and reflects on each of the five symposium papers.
Research Ethics Committees: A Personal Perspective
Authors: Coggon David
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a personal view on the work of RECs from three different viewpoints: as a researcher, as an occasional participant in other people's studies, and as a potential beneficiary from medical research. It is concluded, from all three perspectives, that whilst RECs are making a valuable contribution to medical research there is a danger that in pursuit of their day-to-day business, they may lose sight of their ultimate purpose, which is to help promote the efficient conduct of ethically sound research for the public benefit.
Ethical and Methodological Challenges Involved in Research on Sexual Violence in Nigeria
Authors: Ajuwon Ademola J , Adegbite Olufunmilola
Published: January 2012

Research on sexual violence is fraught with ethical and methodological challenges due to its sensitive nature. This paper describes the ethical and methodological challenges encountered in planning and conducting two exploratory studies on sexual violence that included in-depth interviews of eight female adolescent rape survivors in Ibadan and four married women in Lagos Nigeria who were raped, forced to perform sexual acts and sexually deprived. The first challenge encountered was an Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirement to obtain parental permission from adolescents, when such a requirement may place the adolescent at risk if a parent was a perpetrator of sexual violence. Using arguments emphasizing the Council for International Organization for Medical Sciences guidelines helped convince the IRB to provide a waiver of parental consent. Second, the privacy required to conduct in-depth interviews for rape survivors was difficult to achieve because five of the rape survivors were apprentices who work in public settings which are typically used to conduct business in the informal sector. To overcome this challenge, interviews were conducted in safe locations, investigator's offices and homes of survivors. The culture of silence associated with sexual violence posed a challenge because it encourages perpetration of violence with impunity causing rape survivors to suffer in silence. None of the affected adolescents had sought judicial redress for rape despite availability of stringent punishment for this behaviour. Referral information was provided on where survivors could seek care. Interviews with the women could not be recorded on audio-tapes because of concerns that their partners might identify their voices from the tapes and punish them for this. Although research on sexual violence poses ethical and methodological challenges, it is not only desirable but also feasible to conduct such research in ways that ensure safety of participants.
Ethical Issues in Research in a School Setting: Discussion
Authors: Burgess Chris
Published: January 2012

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2007; 3 (4): 130). Claire, a physiotherapist, wishes to investigate the effects of ‘sports drinks’ on local primary school children who are keen to take part. She plans to use a Multistage Fitness Test in which the children will be asked to run from one designated point to another in time with recorded sounds. Each child will be asked to take the test twice. On the first occasion no sports drink will be given. The drink will be administered before the children take the test for the second time.
Researching Children and Young People Living in Residential State Care: Hurdles on the Path to Consent
Authors: McCrystal Patrick
Published: January 2012

The practical and ethical issues associated with obtaining informed consent from children and young people living in residential state care for their participation in a research study are explored in this paper. Research involving the participation of these young people has received comparatively limited attention in the social sciences: this is due to several reasons including the challenging methodological and ethical issues associated with undertaking such research. These can be categorized as the practical issues of gaining direct contact with these young people through gaining the consent of relevant gatekeepers and the process of gaining a favourable opinion from a research ethics committee. Whilst the principles of clarity and consistency of practice are key elements in the process of accessing consent to participate in research, flexibility and imagination are also important skills for the researcher when developing the appropriate protocols for research in an area of social policy which can be methodologically and ethically complex.
Style Matters: An Analysis of 100 Research Ethics Committee Decision Letters
Authors: Angell Emma L , Dixon-Woods Mary
Published: January 2012

Disquiet about the research ethics review process has, historically, been anecdotal and often takes the form of ‘atrocity stories’ from researchers about the bureaucratic nature of the application process or inconsistency and capriciousness in decision-making. However, systematic evidence has often been lacking. We analysed 100 decision letters written by NHS research ethics committees (RECs). We found evidence of poor communication in the way in which REC decisions were conveyed to applicants. Typos and grammatical mistakes were found in almost 30% of letters; sometimes wording was impolite and demonstrated a lack of respect towards applicants; and there was often lack of clarity about the nature of a revision and whether the revision was compulsory or optional. The analysis provides messages for RECs about how they can improve their practices to establish a more cooperative relationship between researcher and committee through the careful use of language and attention to detail in decision letters.
Research Ethics and Integrity — The Case for a Holistic Approach
Authors: Hudson Richard
Published: January 2012

This paper puts forward the case for university research ethics committees to coordinate universities' efforts to foster research ethics in its broadest sense–ethics and integrity–and to foster it proactively and positively.
‘You Can't Stop Undergraduates Asking Silly Questions’: Academics' Views on Submission of Undergraduate Student Projects for Ethical Review
Authors: Scott Jenny , Rodham Karen , Taylor Gordon , Turner-Cobb Julie
Published: January 2012

Undergraduate projects may contribute new knowledge, but commonly their main purpose is an exercise in learning and applying simple research methods. They are usually short term and a first step into the research field. Support for undergraduate research experience is simple enough. However, integral to the research process is ethical scrutiny. A high standard of conduct of research is essential. The question of whether undergraduate student projects should be subject to full ethical review, to the same extent as that undertaken for full scale academic work, is a matter of debate. The purpose of this study was to explore the views of academics on the nature and extent of ethical review considered appropriate for undergraduate research projects. This was done in order to identify which side of the above debate was favoured.

Participants were undergraduate research project supervisors, drawn from a range of disciplines where research on human subjects is undertaken. A series of focus groups were undertaken, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis.

There was general consensus that some consideration should be given to the ethical issues relating to student projects. However, participants were limited in their explicit identification of such issues, with only extreme examples being specifically described. Some favoured a ‘light touch’ proportional to the size of the project as appropriate, while others considered the level ethical scrutiny not related to the size, duration or outcome of the work. Opinions were divided on where responsibility ultimately lay. Some considered it to belong at departmental, faculty or institutional level, but others held the individual supervisor accountable. The degree of involvement of undergraduate research in ethical review and approval is clearly an issue amongst academics. This study helps raise awareness of these issues and promotes debate on the appropriate level and format of review needed for undergraduate research training.
Standards for Research Ethics Committees: Purpose, Problems and Possibilities
Authors: Davies Hugh
Published: January 2012

This paper reports an initiative from the National Research Ethics Service (UK) and research ethics committees in the UK to develop a shared ethical debate between committees and to promote standards of ethical review, exploring the problems and practicalities of such an approach.
Ethical Issues in Using the Internet in Research — 2: Commentary
Authors: McGee Paula
Published: January 2012

This study appeared in full in the previous issue of Research Ethics Review (2008; 4 (3): 120). RB works in the field of substance abuse where his main expertise focuses on illicit drugs. He plans to investigate, in as many countries as possible, the extent to which dealers dilute or ‘cut’ drugs, in order to increase profit margins. His methodology is entirely internet based. An advertisement, placed on a number of internet forums, will include a link to a separate web page containing an anonymous questionnaire that can be filled in on-line. On completion responses will be transferred, automatically, to a programme on a secure server which will then analyse the data and send it on to RB.
On the Ethics Committee: The Expert Member, the Lay Member and the Absentee Ethicist
Authors: Emmerich Nathan
Published: January 2012

This paper considers the roles and definitions of expert and lay members of ethics committees, focussing on those given by the National Research Ethics Service which is mandated to review all research conducted in National Health Service settings in the United Kingdom. It questions the absence of a specified position for the ‘professional ethicist’ and suggests that such individuals will often be lay members of ethics committees, their participation being a reflection of their academic interest and expertise.

The absence of a specified position for professional ethicists and the concomitant but implicit denial of ethical expertise appear to be an anomalous state of affairs if one considers that the training offered to members of ethics committees is often delivered by academic ethicists. It is suggested that this is based on a misunderstanding of the concept ‘ethical expertise’ and that properly understood the ethicist can assist the work of ethics committees by drawing on their expert knowledge.
Methodological Considerations in Ethical Review — 1.: Scientific Reviews: What Should Ethics Committees Be Looking For?
Authors: Brabin L , Roberts S , Tully M , Vail A , McNamee R
Published: January 2012

This is the first of four papers to be published in Research Ethics Review in 2009 that address methodological issues of relevance to research ethics committees. These will be practical papers, intended to assist ethics committee members to determine whether a research method is both ethically justified and likely to lead to high quality research. This paper prepares the way for the series through a consideration of the relationship between research ethics and methodology.
The Legal Research Committee: A Response to Roy-Toole
Authors: Parker Colin
Published: January 2012

The role of the REC is to aim for a fair and effective trial protocol and to provide to potential trial subjects sufficient information to allow them to make a rational decision on whether to participate in it or not. The members are medical specialists and members of the public together fitted to these tasks. In his paper ‘Illegality in the research protocol: the duty of research ethics committees under the 2001 Clinical Trials Directive’ Roy-Toole has made a number of suggestions on how to improve the function of the RECs, but he has not given persuasive evidence to show that the RECs themselves are the most effective bodies to implement possible legal requirements to improve medical research.
Research Ethics Review and Mental Capacity: Where Now after the Mental Capacity Act 2005?
Authors: McHale J V
Published: January 2012

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 placed for the first time research concerning adults lacking mental capacity upon a statutory footing. However, while the legislation which regulates the inclusion of such adults in ‘intrusive research’ safeguards researchers and research participants alike some controversy remains as to its implementation. This paper focuses upon two specific issues raised by the legislation. First, what constitutes ‘intrusive’ research and whether all issues concerning research involving adults lacking mental capacity should be referred to NHS research ethics committees. Secondly, the role of one of the statutory safeguards–the ‘consultee’. These are individuals who are to be consulted regarding the inclusion of adults lacking mental capacity in research. It contrasts the ‘personal’ and ‘nominated’ consultees and considers whether there is a risk that the legislation may result in a new ‘quasi profession’ of consultees in the future.
Ethical Issues in Conducting Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMP): Discussion
Authors: Humphreys Stephen
Published: January 2012

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review (2009; 5(1): 26). SB, a 21-year-old healthy male, volunteered to take part in a phase I randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled drug interaction study. The trial compound was a CNS-active drug currently under development for a range of CNS indications. The trial–which was not ‘first in class’ or ‘first in man’ –comprised two residential seven-day study periods with a washout period in between. Three days after the end of the first study period the volunteer developed an acute, severe psychosis that warranted hospitalization.
Methodological Considerations in Ethical Review — 2.: Are the Study Aims Justified and is the Design Appropriate?
Authors: Vail A , Tully M , Brabin L , Roberts S , McNamee R
Published: January 2012

This is the second of four papers to be published in Research Ethics Review in 2009 that address methodological issues of relevance to research ethics committees. It focuses on three issues: the appropriateness of the research question, the different types of study design available, including both qualitative and quantitative, and the need for, and choice of, a control group. The paper argues that these issues are key to ethical consideration since inappropriate design may not be salvageable and can lead to unusable data, in which case the risks and burdens to participants would be unjustified.