Ethical Practices of Conducting Research in Social Sciences at University Level in Pakistan

Abstract

Ethical considerations are important in social sciences research. Many professional associations and agencies have adopted codes and policies that outline ethical behaviors and guide researchers. A good ratio of enrolment in higher degree research programs is observed in Pakistani universities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions and practices of research supervisors and students towards ethical concerns in conducting social sciences research. This research also aims at finding out the gaps of implementation of ethical practices in research at national and international level in social sciences. A mix-method approach was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised all the public sector universities of Pakistan. The samples were taken from the social sciences faculties of sampled 26 public sector universities. The sample of this study consisted of 902 research students and 208 research supervisors. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. Document review was also used to identify ethical concerns in social sciences research. It was found that the research students face many challenges during their studies because of poor time management skills and planning, and consequently they adopt unethical practices. The research students are found more concerned about their degree completion than the quality of their research work. The findings also reveal that the level of awareness of student affect the implementation of ethical practices in research. The gaps have also been found the implementation phase of research ethics at national and international level. The study concludes that research students fail to observe the ethical concerns owing to diverse difficulties they face. Research quality can be improved through observing standard ethical practices. The study adds to academic knowledge of ethical practices, and also provides a solid foundation for future research in the relevant area. This study puts forward recommendations to create awareness amongst the students regarding research policies and provides statistical evidence for formulation of policies and guidelines to combat unethical practices in the universities of Pakistan. The results of this study might stimulate further research.