Ethical Research on Sensitive Topics and with Marginalised Groups

This online workshop will explore strategies for ethically sound and reflexive research on sensitive topics and with marginalised participants. Sensitive research often requires a critical and nuanced consideration of ethical issues to protect participants, researchers and wider communities.

Among the topics covered will be the ethics of research design, context setting, data gathering, data analysis, reporting, presenting, dissemination and aftercare, as well as researcher wellbeing and research abuse today. Participants will be asked to take part in some group discussions.

Whilst the workshop is ideal for those PGRs near the start of their PhD journey, and is particularly relevant for those planning their research ethics application, it also includes learning on embedding ethical practice throughout the research cycle.

Outcomes

Attendees will:

• Understand the importance of the engagement with research ethics in sensitive research;
• Understand the ways in which sensitive research creates additional ethical issues;
• Have strategies to help them navigate ethical issues as they arise in sensitive research.
  

Contributors

• Guest speaker Dr Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker specialising in research methods, particularly creative methods, and research ethics. With over 23 years’ experience as an independent researcher, she now teaches doctoral students and staff at higher education institutions worldwide. She is also a prolific academic author with over 25 titles, notably Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide, Research Ethics in the Real World and Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners.
• Dr Hannah Jobling is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of York, and Director of the WHC (Wellbeing, Health and Communities) Pathway for the WRDTP.