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Article Excerpt
Little has been done in terms of teaching or writing about research integrity or research ethics in the counseling field. Because of the continual push for research in counseling to maintain evidence-based practices, there is a need for education in the area of research integrity in order for professionals in the counseling field to conduct responsible research. The Office of Research Integrity's 9 areas of responsible conduct of research and the American Counseling Association's code of ethics on research are presented, along with a discussion of ways to teach ethics and provide resources for research integrity in counselor education.
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Research integrity has received substantial attention in the biomedical sciences. High-profile cases of research misconduct over the past 20 years have resulted in lost jobs, damaged reputations of prominent scientists, lawsuits against universities, and debarment and/or exclusion from future funding or the ability to serve in advisory capacities to grant organizations (Office of Research Integrity, 2005, 2006). Personal characteristics (e.g., psychological disorders, stress management) and situational factors (e.g., competitive sparring to gain resources, generating grant funding, the pressure to publish, health or family problems, financial difficulties) have been found to be some of the possible causes of research misconduct (Alberts & Shine, 1994; Davis, Riske, & Seaman, 2001; Hatcher, 2005; Woolf, 1981). Eventually, incidents of research misconduct led to administrative regulations designed to promote integrity in research. Institutions receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) consequently are required to address the responsible conduct of research (RCR) not only by notifying the Office of Research Integrity (ORI; affiliated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) of alleged RCR violations but also by undertaking educational efforts to acquaint researchers with appropriate standards of research conduct.
Research integrity, by definition, is the "adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms" (ORI, "Areas of Interest," [paragraph]1, 2003) or "possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles and professional standards [in the area of research]" (Steneck, 2006, p. 55). Just as research in other areas, such as the biomedical sciences, has been faced with an examination of its integrity, the integrity of research in the counseling field should also be examined. Research within the field of counseling typically deals with human participants, including clients undergoing mental and emotional distress or experiencing a trauma, crisis, or severe mental health disorder. Thus, at times, counseling clients may be at risk because of researchers' conflicts of interest between client care and outcomes of research, dual relationships (e.g., researcher and counselor), as well as the possibility of releasing confidential client information to accurately report results. In addition to research misconduct or questionable research practices (QRPs, defined as departing from the acceptable practice of the relevant research community; Steneck, 2003) occurring with clients, other transgressions can include--but are not limited to---data fabrication, plagiarism, lack of responsibility of the principal investigator, inappropriate authorship, reporting of inaccurate results, or falsifying data.
Although research misconduct and QRPs of counseling professionals have not been reported publicly or been listed on the ORI's misconduct cases Web page (ORI, 2006), it is possible that irresponsible conduct of research exists. Because of the possible serious consequences that research misconduct could have on others (research participants and clients) and on the counseling field, it is time to take proactive, preemptive action designed to prevent inappropriate research practices. The purpose of this article is to provide ways in which counselor educators can bring research ethics into the classroom for counselors-in-training--teaching them to become ethical researchers in their future careers as counselors or educators.
Research in the Field of Counseling
There has been increased skepticism from society, the general public, government, and consumers about the provision of services, programs, and education in the counseling field for which no positive results or success have been demonstrated (Houser, 1998). Houser declared that "we [as a profession] can attempt to ignore the criticisms or we can attempt to address them in the practice of our profession" (p. 230). Because of the increased skepticism and the need for effective clinical treatment, there continues to be a drive in the field of counseling to provide evidence-based service. This drive has, and continues to, lead counseling professionals, including clinical practitioners, counselor educators, and graduate students (at both the master's and doctoral level), to engage in research focused on data that supports, or disputes, their services.
In light of the need for continued evidence-based practice, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001) indicated that research and program evaluation must be included in CACREP-accredited counselor education programs as part of the core curriculum. CACREP indicated that this course must emphasize the importance of research; provide an overview of research methods; and discuss opportunities and difficulties in conducting research in counseling, the use of statistical methods, technology, the use of research to improve counseling effectiveness,...
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