Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Research ethics in victimization studies: widening the lens
Other Titles:	Violence against women
Authors:	Newman, Elana Cromer, Lisa DeMarni
Keywords:	Standards;Service provision
Year:	2011
Publisher:	Sage Publications
Citation:	17 (12), December 2011
Notes:	The Clark and Walter article is a provocative call to widen the lens of ethical consideration for research with potentially vulnerable populations, such as victims of violence. With emphasis on the ethical principle of nonmaleficence, Clark and Walker advocate using ethical decision making in every realm of the research process, from conceptualization to dissemination. The authors raise concern about possible compromised ethics because of the high-pressured academic research environment in which publish-or-perish and extramural funding mandates exist. In fact, they argue that if left solely to investigators and (institutional review board) IRBs, teleological ethical processes (although not explicitly stated as such) offer inadequate protection for victims of violence who participate in research. Clark and Walker believe that to avoid exploitation of research participants, one needs a broader lens than the current approach. We heartily agree that ethical decision making should be integral to each stage of the research process; further, we applaud their efforts to raise these issues with respect to intimate partner violence. Nonetheless, we disagree with statements about the pervasiveness of certain potential risks and problems in the absence of clear data to support these concerns. Ultimately, we concur with the overall thesis—careful ethical thinking needs to be utilized for all research—including that which involves individuals exposed to violence. Our comments aim to provoke further discussion. Toward this end, we highlight several areas for amplification, clarification, and reconsideration. [?2011 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. For further information, visit SAGE Publications link.]
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/16632
ISSN:	1077-8012
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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