Ethical Considerations in Academic Research

Abstract

Ethics is a set of moral principles or moral values often an important consideration in academic research. We need to rule out any potential misconduct either with the scientific method or the way results are presented to the people (M.I.T.D., Correia, 2023). In the past, work ethics can involve setting up in-person coffee meetings instead of virtual catch-ups; using snail mail for important documents, rather than emails/WhatsApp/Telegram, etc, and taking real breaks for a breather or stretching, and not just screen switches; these are among the many ways in which work habits used to be carried out, yet produce results. In social science, the objectives of human research typically involve gaining insights into real-world phenomena, examining effective treatments, and exploring behaviours to improve lives; what you research and how it is conducted involve ethical considerations (Pritha Bhandari, 2021). According to Benny Ang (from Elsevier, 2025), authorship, competing interest, plagiarism, simultaneous submission, research fraud, salami slicing, and the use of Generative AI are the most common unethical acts; plagiarism being the most common. The need to understand and uphold ethics in scientific research is pertinent in today’s scientific community. The rapid advancement of technology and science raises ethical questions about privacy, consent, and the potential long-term impacts on society and its environment (Miteu, G.D, 2024).