Understanding the relevance of ethics reviews of ICT research in UK computing departments using dialectical hermeneutics
| Date | 09 March 2015 |
| Published date | 09 March 2015 |
| Pages | 28-38 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-03-2014-0015 |
| Author | Damian Okaibedi Eke,Bernd Carsten Stahl,Christine Fidler |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Understanding the relevance of
ethics reviews of ICT research in
UK computing departments using
dialectical hermeneutics
Damian Okaibedi Eke, Bernd Carsten Stahl and Christine Fidler
Department of Informatics, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate how Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) researchers in UK computing departments address ethics in their
research. Whilst research and innovation in ICT has blossomed in the last two decades, the ethical,
social and legal challenges they present have also increased. However, the increasing attention the
technical development receives has not been replicated in the area of developing effective guidelines
that can address the moral issues inherent in ICT research.
Design/methodology/approach – This research is qualitative and made use of interviews. The data
analysis was done with dialectical hermeneutics. Through a dialectical hermeneutic process, this
research unpacks different understandings of relevance attached to ethics reviews of ICT research in
UK computing departments.
Findings – The ndings include that ethics reviews are relevant because; it is a moral duty, it
improves trust for researchers, it is part of risk assessment, it is in compliance with the law and it is a
sustainable act.
Practical implications – These various understandings illustrate an important dialectic process on
the current state of the art in ICT research.
Social implications – It asks to what degree the currently dominant model of ethics review based on
biomedical ethics is optimal to ICT.
Originality/value – It proposes a framework that can effectively help researchers and administrators
to ensure responsible research and innovation in ICT. Finally, it identies that ICT researchers would
benet from the developing repertoire of responsible research innovation.
Keywords Ethics, Sustainability, Hermeneutics, Trust, Risk assessment, Information ethics
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Over the last few decades, there has been a great deal of research in the area of
Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Such research has blossomed to
the benet of business, individuals and the public, and has led to signicant social,
economic and legal changes. Many aspects of human life have been altered: commerce,
employment, medicine, security, transportation and entertainment. In essence, ICT has
signicant impact on our society. It also leads to an increasing array of ethical and social
challenges which gives rise to social policy vacuums (Moor, 1985, p. 266). However,
whilst there is a continued concentration on the technical issues involved in ICT
research, less attention has been paid to the development of guidelines that address the
moral issues inherent in such research (Eke, 2012).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
JICES
13,1
28
Received 25 March 2014
Revised 17 June 2014
Accepted 18 August 2014
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.13 No. 1, 2015
pp.28-38
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-03-2014-0015
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