@article{ref1,
title="The betrayal of research confidentiality in British sociology",
journal="Research ethics",
year="2014",
author="Lowman, J. and Palys, T.",
volume="10",
number="2",
pages="97-118",
abstract="Research confidentiality in Britain is under attack. Indeed, in some quarters the 'Law of the Land' doctrine that absolutely subjugates research ethics to law is already a fait accompli. To illustrate the academic freedom issues at stake, the article discusses: (i) the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee's ban of interview questions about a research participant's involvement in criminal acts; (ii) the awarding of damages against Exeter University when it reneged on its agreement to uphold a doctoral student's guarantee of 'absolute confidentiality' in his research on assisted suicide; and (iii) the controversy around the UK government's attempt to obtain confidential records from the Belfast Project − an oral history of paramilitaries involved in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The article urges British researchers to practice - or, at least, defend the academic freedom of their colleagues to practice - the 'ethics-first' doctrine of strict confidentiality that several North American disciplinary associations encourage. © The Author(s) 2014.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1747-0161",
doi="10.1177/1747016113481145",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1747016113481145"
}