Ethics in Research
A reliable study is one that has considered the whole population in its analysis. In cases where the whole population cannot be analyzed, a study sample is considered. The sample to be considered should reflect the whole population and should be as large as possible. Although large is always taken as a relative term, the researcher should apply common sense as to the size that gives an almost identical picture of the whole population. The study on breastfeeding and cancer has several strengths and weaknesses at the same time. The strengths come about due to the adherence to the principles set in the ethical declaration while the weaknesses come about due to the ignored research requirements.
A research that is required to give reliable results should leave the minimum space if possible for criticism. The research on breastfeeding and breast cancer has left much to doubt due to the size of the sample chosen for analysis. Choosing 128 patients to represent more than a hundred thousand cancer patients does not give reliable results. A smaller sample leaves a higher chance of choosing patients with similar characteristics and may give biased results. The research, therefore, appears to go against the principle of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence.
The researcher has upheld the principle of fidelity and responsibility. For example, the objectives of the study are explained to the subject before using their information for the study. Also, the information required for the study is collected directly from the subjects. The researcher, therefore, has succeeded in working as per the principle of integrity. The information is under no circumstances inflated or assumed.
The researcher has done well in following the principles of justice and respect for individuals’ dignity. The random selection of subjects has been strategic to ensure that discrimination does not occur among the subjects. Also, the researcher has ensured that the subjects are aware of the objectives of the study, and thus, only the relevant information is given. The research on breast cancer has, however, used several assumptions that could weaken the authenticity of the results. The assumption that the ladies who have not had their menstrual cycle for six months are treated as menopausal is questionable. The menstrual cycle is known to be affected by several other factors and menopause cannot be treated as the only factor. Therefore, the study might overlook some factors which could be leading to breast cancer under the assumption that a lady is already in the menopause stage.
According to the principles in the Helsinki declaration, the research is authentic and should be considered in decision making (Allan, 2018). Most of the ethical principles have been considered. Generally, the research has managed more strengths than weaknesses. The results from the research can, however, be improved by increasing the sample population to avoid any cases of bias in the results. Also, the assumption of menopause for ladies who have not been having a menstrual flow for some time should be scrapped to avoid biased results.
In sum, the research on breastfeeding and breast cancer has managed to go in line with most of the ethical principles. The strengths of the research are more than the weaknesses, and thus, the study should hold. The weaknesses associated with the study are issues that can be corrected.
References
Allan, A. (2018). Moral challenges for psychologists working in psychology and law. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 25(3), 485-499.
Young, G. (2017). Introduction to Revising the APA Ethics Code. In Revising the APA Ethics Code (pp. 1-36). Springer, Cham.