Category Archives: ethics

safety and research

Posted on May 20, 2019 by pat thomson

Every now and then you read papers* by someone who has experienced violence during their fieldwork. Karen Ross, for instance, wrote about sexual violence in the field. She described the ways in which protecting herself from harassment and assault meant … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, ethics, ethics of care, trauma | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

an ethics of analysis and writing

Posted on December 12, 2016 by pat thomson

How do you work ethically with material generated in an interview? I’ve been pondering this question recently as part of a more general think about ethical research practice*. Research ethics are covered in institutional forms – yes? Well no. The forms … Continue reading →

Posted in analysis, data analysis, ethics, Uncategorized, writing research | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

why blog your field work?

Posted on July 27, 2015 by pat thomson

Over the last week I’ve posted every day about the ethnographic research I was doing at the Tate Summer School, research carried out with the Tate Schools and Teachers team. Why? Why did I interrupt my normal flow of writing … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, blogging about blogging, blogging your field work, ethics, ethnography, Tate Summer School | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

don’t be a BAW – Badly-behaved Academic Writer

Posted on June 22, 2015 by pat thomson

I was recently asked to talk to doctoral researchers about bad academic behaviour. Not in general, but bad behaviour specifically in relation to writing for publication. I came up with the following list. The Badly-behaved Academic Writer, or BAW for … Continue reading →

Posted in author order, badly behaved academic writers, ethics, plagiarism | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

thesis know-how – reporting on ‘ethics’

Posted on February 23, 2015 by pat thomson

I’ve read a number of theses which take a pretty cursory approach to ethical matters. The most worrying are those that simply make a short statement which reports that the research was approved by the relevant university ethics committee and/or … Continue reading →

Posted in consent, ethics, harm, thesis | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

doctoral research, ethics and the digital

Posted on May 12, 2014 by pat thomson

Last Friday I was part of a workshop on doctoral research and ethics held at the Cambridge School of Education. Anna Robinson Pant began the day talking about cultural dilemmas in academic writing and doctoral research. She has written a … Continue reading →

Posted in academic blogging, ethics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

anonymity in research – how now?

Posted on May 1, 2014 by pat thomson

Most of us are now very findable online. It is not impossible, once you have someone’s name, to find out where they work and who they work with. Linked in, facebook, twitter, electoral rolls and so on all provide readily … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

anticipate the unexpected reader

Posted on January 13, 2014 by pat thomson

People like me, people who teach about writing, are always wittering on about the importance of writing with a reader in mind. This is important, we say, because if you write for a particular reader you can connect what you … Continue reading →

Posted in Caroline Bettell, ethics, Mark Peel, reader, readership, representation | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

messy research: the ethics of recruiting participants

Posted on June 15, 2012 by pat thomson

This guest blog by Dr Simon Bailey, a research fellow at the Manchester Business School, addresses a very messy area in research – that of the basis on which we recruit people to our projects. WHAT’VE THE RESEARCHERS EVER DONE … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, ethics, mess, research methods, research plan, rules of engagement | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments