TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - The betrayal of research confidentiality in British sociology
JO  - Research ethics
A1  - Lowman, J.
A1  - Palys, T.
SP  - 97
EP  - 118
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 1747-0161
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1747016113481145
ID  - ref1
ER  -