Citation

Lowman J, Palys T. Res. Ethics 2014; 10(2): 97-118.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1747016113481145

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research confidentiality in Britain is under attack. Indeed, in some quarters the 'Law of the Land' doctrine that absolutely subjugates research ethics to law is already a fait accompli. To illustrate the academic freedom issues at stake, the article discusses: (i) the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee's ban of interview questions about a research participant's involvement in criminal acts; (ii) the awarding of damages against Exeter University when it reneged on its agreement to uphold a doctoral student's guarantee of 'absolute confidentiality' in his research on assisted suicide; and (iii) the controversy around the UK government's attempt to obtain confidential records from the Belfast Project − an oral history of paramilitaries involved in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The article urges British researchers to practice - or, at least, defend the academic freedom of their colleagues to practice - the 'ethics-first' doctrine of strict confidentiality that several North American disciplinary associations encourage. © The Author(s) 2014.

Language: en

Keywords

Assisted suicide research; Belfast Project; Guilty knowledge; Research confidentiality