Ethical issues

My dissertation points on ethical issues must include:

• Dignity, welfare, do no harm
• Care taken to do no harm. Participants and organisations confidentiality respected.
• Data accurately collected and reported
• Permission to conduct research in the manner adopted was gained from the OU ethics committee
• Interviewees and organisations were informed of the nature of the research and given the right to anonymity, offered the chance to withdraw or discontinue participation, given written details of how their details would be stored and used and asked to indicate their agreement
• At the interview stage, interviewees were sent or given a copy of the information sheet and an informed consent form. The form was discussed and collected at the beginning of the interview. The form gave the option of separately giving or refusing permission for the recording of interview. The interviewees were given anonymity in the thesis and in the NVivo files by the use of pseudonyms.

PhD Issues

The OUBS PG students have just had a meeting between themselves. We started with an introductory activity - say what issue you are dealing with now, and your neighbour will offer some advice.

Issues included:

• literature - being stuck on something interesting
• procrastination
• time management
• the more you read the more you're scared by what you don't know!
• waiting for a confidentiality agreement for access to clients
• access to get data
• too small a return rate on samples
• writing to persuade access

Advice included:

• work 8 hours a day
• write anything
• schedule to read x articles per day
• use mnemonic SOSTS to guide your writing

SOSTS =

• Situation
• Objective
• Strategy
• Tactics
• Solution

I think the first two give the background and the later ones are what you want to get to. I'm working on those to write one paragraph that will persuade someone a) that I can write in non-academic terms, b) that I understood what was going on in the meeting, c) that the OU is a competent organisation, including having real research ability d) to introduce me to others of interest in my area e) to provide the access he offered f) to provide any other relevant support.