Ethical Research on Sensitive Topics and with Vulnerable People

PGRs from all WRDTP partner institutions and all Interdisciplinary Pathways are invited to attend this online training session planned by the WHC Pathway Training Team.

This introductory workshop, ideal for those at the start of their PhD journey, will explore strategies for ethically sound and reflexive research on sensitive topics and with vulnerable participants. Sensitive research often requires a critical and nuanced consideration of ethical issues to protect participants, researchers and wider communities.

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 and Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the workshop, students 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.