Research Methods and Ethics
As we all know, research is a quintessential necessity for the field of criminal justice. Without valid research, a lot of the grants and government money that is used to fund a lot of public policy programs would not exist. When it comes to research, it is important to indicate the importance of ethics. When conducting studies and research practices every researcher strives to achieve valid results. Validity is important in research methods because it basically motivates the researchers to find a justification for their investigation and it gives the right to influence others through the creation of public policies and programs.
For every scientific investigation, whether in the natural sciences or in the social sciences, such as criminology and criminal justice, there is an ethical dimension. First and foremost, the scientific concern with validity requires that scientists be honest and reveal their methods. Scientists also have to consider the uses to which their findings will be put. In addition, because criminological research deals with people, such as criminals, criminal suspects, and incarcerated inmates and controversial topic involving crime criminologists have some unique ethical concerns.
Honest and Openness
Honesty
* Scientists must be open in disclosing their methods and honesty in presenting their findings. In order to assess the validity of a researcher’s conclusions and the ethics of his or her procedures it is important to know exactly how the research was conducted. * So such as including a detailed methodology section which could also be supplemented by appendices containing research instruments. * How else could we determine whether the requirement of honesty has been met? Use of scholarly journals, web sites or and address where more information can be obtained.
Openness
* Essential if researchers