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Ethics in Qualitative Research

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Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore a number of ethical questions and ethical dilemmas that can arise at different stages of the research process. Rather than attempting to provide an answer to these or a full overview of the ethical issues encountered by researchers, we aim to sensitize the reader to some of the complexities involved in trying to do qualitative research in an ethically sensitive manner. We see ethics not as a uniform set of rules or a formal institutional requirement but rather as an integral element of research praxis. We therefore consider a number of ethical questions that are likely to arise at different stages of the research process and alert the reader to some ethically important moments that they might encounter. We start by looking at some ethical questions linked to the research design. We then turn to discussing ethical challenges associated with negotiating access, trying to obtain informed consent from participants as well as maintaining and managing relationships with them. We conclude by discussing ethical issues in relation to data presentation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

    Sylwia Ciuk

  2. Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland

    Dominika Latusek

Authors
  1. Sylwia Ciuk
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  2. Dominika Latusek
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Teesside University Business School, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

    Malgorzata Ciesielska

  2. Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego, Warszawa, Poland

    Dariusz Jemielniak

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Ciuk, S., Latusek, D. (2018). Ethics in Qualitative Research. In: Ciesielska, M., Jemielniak, D. (eds) Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65217-7_11

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