A. Introduction
- What general issues of focus has your group chosen or is close to choosing?
The issue our group is focusing on is the ethical issues that occur within science experimentation & research. We are still thinking about how we can make our inquiry question more specific. We chose this topic because this is an issue that is rarely mentioned. No one talks about or even tries to understand how scientific information is found. Most people just believe anything that is scientifically backed up, because the information is provided by smart people who have done experiments. We never see the proof of these experiments we just blindly believe it.
- What is the thinking behind these potential choices, or the choice you have already made?
The thinking that we have behind the choice to pick this topic is that we want to know more about scientific research. We want to test the boundaries of what is wrong and right in science experimentation. This is a topic that many people dont think about, and believe doesnt matter.
B. Rationale
- What specific research Inquiry Question are you targeting?
I am targeting “What ethical issues occur within science experimentation & research?”
- Why is this line of Inquiry (or potential lines), unique or significant?
This line of Inquiry (or potential lines), unique or significant because it talks about unethical experiments which are harmful for people, and nobody talks about it. On top of that, most of these experiments have no positive or beneficial outcomes and people get disease or death because of these experiments.
- What do you hope to gain from this line (or these potential lines) of inquiry?
We need to be cautious about unnecessary experiments regarding human welfare so that it does not make research participant’s life vulnerable.
- For the group, what is the personal relevance of this inquiry focus? What personal relationship do you have with the subject?
The relevance that this inquiry question has on our personal life is that we see a lot of documentaries or articles written about how scientific information is found. Some of the ways this information is found is not ethical or right. We wanted to reveal what actually goes on behind all of the scientific experimentation and research.
Asef : When I was in my country, there was an experiment regarding Covid vaccination and they took their first trials with poor people and students from middle class family as it may have negative outcomes or side effects and I participated on that experiment because of my school obligation.
C. Informative Review of Science Literature
- What are the main sources you have chosen or potential choices for your group’s project? List them with the names and titles of their articles. (You should have at least 2-3 by now that you can discuss).
Author: Jennifer B. McCormick1,3, Angie M. Boyce1,4, Mildred K. Cho1
Title: The nature and ethics of natural experiments
Author: Angus Dawson, and Julius Sim
Title: Solving an ethical issue involved in experimentation with animals in a brazilian teaching laboratory
Author: Natália I. V. Loureiro, Henrique V. Viana, Carlos R. Rodrigues, Lúcio Mendes Cabral, Thaís D. N. Silva, Fernanda Serpa Cardoso, Dilvani Oliveira Santos, Helena C. Cast
- What is the main research question of each source?
- The nature and ethics of natural experiments: How do the ethical issues that may arise within natural experiments in relation to risks of harm or informed consent differ from those within the randomized controlled trial?
- Biomedical Scientists’ Perceptions of Ethical and Social Implications: Is There a Role for Research Ethics Consultation?: How can we determine biomedical science researchers’ perceived need for and utility of research ethics consultation?
- Solving an ethical issue involved in experimentation with animals in a Brazilian teaching laboratory: How a laboratory class experiment can be applied in any biochemistry course to avoid ethical and biosafety issues?
- What is the methodology of each source? Describe them briefly
The first source analyzes whether research ethics consultation programs are beneficial and why they are needed. It also gives facts and information about scientists and research and how it is conducted and also how the researchers themselves come across ethical concerns. The second Source reveals a different type of experimentation called natural experiments. Natural experiments are a much safer and ethically right approach to discovering new things during research. This source informs us more about this different type of experimentation that is actually morally acceptable. The third source focuses specifically on Brazil’s teaching laboratories’ use of animals and how unethical it is when animals are used in experiments, especially in an immoral way.
- What are the ultimate conclusions of each source? Describe briefly.
The conclusion for the first source is that research ethics consultation programs for experimentation are necessary to make sure that everything stays ethical. The second source’s conclusion is that natural experimentation is the better form of experimentation because it offers a more moral and right way of making discoveries and research. The third source’s conclusion is that the use of animals at Brazil’s teaching laboratories is a cause for concern.
- How might these sources work together to make an argument or discovery?
These sources will work together to make an argument by proving that some of the ways science experimentation is done are unethical. It sheds light on how living things are treated during experimentation. Also talks about different types of experimentation that prove to be safer to use. There are many other ways that science can be unethical and we will find more articles that talk about the different ways that science can be immoral.
- Who will be responsible for which part of the final paper?
Romesha will have the responsibility for writing the introduction and be part of the editors. While Oumou will help with the editing, she will also be the researcher and also write the conclusion. Hameed is the group scheduler, a part of the researcher and will be writing the methodology. Joshua will be responsible for the data and result while Asef will be writing the discussion part and be the liaison to the professor.
