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Ethical Checkpoints in the Research Process

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About This MicroSim

This interactive MicroSim helps students identify the ethical checkpoints at each stage of the research process, from question formulation through publication.. It supports the learning objectives in Chapter: Ethics and Values in Knowledge.

How to Use

Use the interactive controls below the drawing area to explore the visualization. Hover over elements for additional information and click to see detailed descriptions.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/theory-of-knowledge/sims/research-ethics-checkpoints/main.html"
        height="450px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School / IB TOK)

Duration

15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of the scientific research process (hypothesis, data collection, analysis, publication)
  • Awareness that research involves human participants and has social consequences
  • Familiarity with the concept of informed consent

Learning Objectives

  • Apply knowledge of research ethics by identifying the specific ethical checkpoints that arise at each stage of the research process

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Step through each stage of the research process in the sim, from question formulation through publication. At each stage, click to reveal the ethical questions that researchers must address. Pay special attention to the consent checkpoint during data collection and the honesty checkpoint during publication. List at least three ethical questions that surprised you.
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): Working in small groups, choose a hypothetical study (e.g., "Testing a new teaching method on students" or "Surveying refugees about trauma experiences"). Step through the sim again and, for each checkpoint, discuss: What specific ethical concern applies to your study? Write a brief ethical review for your study covering at least four checkpoints. Compare your review with another group's.
  3. Assessment (5 min): A researcher publishes a study using data collected from social media posts without users' knowledge. Identify which ethical checkpoints were violated, name at least two, and explain why each matters for the integrity of knowledge produced.

Assessment

  • Identifies at least four distinct ethical checkpoints across different research stages
  • Explains why ethical violations at specific stages compromise the knowledge produced
  • Applies ethical reasoning to a concrete research scenario with specificity

Quiz

Test your understanding with this review question.

  1. Formulating the research question
  2. Collecting data from participants
  3. Analyzing the results statistically
  4. Publishing the findings in a journal
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Informed consent requires that participants understand and voluntarily agree to how their data will be collected and used before the data collection begins. While ethical considerations exist at every stage, informed consent is specifically a checkpoint at the data collection stage where researchers interact directly with human participants.

Concept Tested: Ethical checkpoints in the research process

References

  1. International Baccalaureate Organization. Theory of Knowledge Guide. Cardiff: IBO, 2022.
  2. Woolman, M. Ways of Knowing: An Introduction to Theory of Knowledge. IBID Press, 2006.