Scientific rigor must be balanced by careful adherence to a…

Scientific rigor must be balanced by careful adherence to a code of research ethics. This includes respect for the word “no” when someone is asked to be in a study. In this regard, which concern (shown below) is the most likely aspect of rigor that may be sacrificed to protect ethics in research?

A researcher is interested in studying how adults attending…

A researcher is interested in studying how adults attending alcoholics anonymous (AA) groups provide support to one another. This researcher decides to attend AA meetings in their community. When they arrive, they announce that they are a researcher and would like to attend/take notes, but that they will not take part in the groups themselves. What role is this researcher playing?

A researcher designs a randomized controlled trial investiga…

A researcher designs a randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of a physical activity intervention on sleep quality. Participants are asked to rate sleep duration and sleep quality using a validated measure at a pretest visit, are randomized to attend either 3 exercises classes (intervention) or health education classes (control) each week for 3 months, and are then asked to return for a posttest assessment where they again rate their sleep duration and sleep quality using the same validated measure. In this study, what is the between-subjects factor?

An IRB can conduct three types of review (full, expedited, a…

An IRB can conduct three types of review (full, expedited, and exempt). Only the IRB can determine whether a given application qualifies for full versus expedited; however, the investigator is allowed to determine when research is exempt. In cases when this determination is made, IRB review is not necessary.