Ethical Considerations
You need to refer to the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and University of Derby Code Of Ethics
Informed consent: Informed consent means that the person participating in the research is fully informed about the research is being conducted. Participants need to be made aware of the purpose of the research, what they are required to do and how the findings will be used, if there are any potential adverse impacts of their participation and who will have access to the findings. The main purpose of informed consent is that the participant is able to make an informed decision as to whether they will participate in the research or not.
Voluntary participation: Voluntary participation means that people participate in the research of their own free will. Participants are free to withdraw their participation at any time. It is the right of participants to withdraw at any time, therefore no pressure should be placed on those who choose not to continue. Explanations are also not required. It is important that you make it clear to the participants how they can withdraw from the study.
Do no harm: It is imperative that the research process does not in any way harm (unintended or otherwise) participants, so it is important to think really carefully about the questions you ask, the way you ask them and any tasks you may wish the participants to complete.
Confidentiality: Confidentiality means that any identifying information is not made available to, or accessed by anyone but you, your IS tutor (and the module leader, if necessary).
Anonymity: Anonymity means that the identity of the participant remains unknown and cannot be identified in the research report.
Only assess relevant components: This means you should only assess those components that are of relevance to the research being conducted.