Section G: Research And Publication

Question 1

What are counselors who conduct research encouraged to do?

Answer 1

contribute to the knowledge base of profession and promote a clearer understanding of the conditions that lead to a healthy and more just society.

Question 2

G.1.a. Conducting research

Answer 2

counselors plan, design, conduct, and report research in a manner that is consistent with pertinent ethical principles, federal and state laws, host institutional regulations, and scientific standards governing research.

Question 3

G.1.b. confidentiality in research

Answer 3

counselors are responsible for understanding and adhering to state, federal, agency, or institutional policies or applicable guidelines regarding confidentiality in their research practices.

Question 4

g.1.c. independent researchers

Answer 4

when counselors conduct independent research and do not have access to an institutional review board, they are bound to the same ethical principles and federal and state laws pertaining to the review of their plan, design, conduct, and reporting of research.

Question 5

g.1.d. deviation from standard practice.

Answer 5

counselors seek consultation and observe stringent safeguards to protect the rights of research participants when research indicates that a deviation from standard or acceptable practices may be necessary.

Question 6

g.1.e. precautions to avoid injury

Answer 6

counselors who conduct research are responsible for their participants’ welfare throughout the research process and should take reasonable precautions to avoid causing emotional, physical, or social harm to participants.

Question 7

g.1.f. principal researcher responsibility

Answer 7

the ultimate responsibility for ethical research practice lies with the principal researcher. all others involved in the research activities share ethical obligations and responsibility for their own actions.

Question 8

G.2.a. informed consent in research

Answer 8

individuals have the right to decline requests to become research participants. in seeking consent, counselors use language that:

1. accurately explains the purpose and procedures to be followed;
2. identifies any procedures that are experimental or relatively untried;
3. describes any attendant discomforts, risks, and potential power differentials between researchers and participants;
4. describes any benefits or changes in individuals or organizations that might reaasonably be expected;
5. discloses appropriate alternative procedures that would be advantageous for participants;
6. offers to answer any inquiries concerning the procedures;
7. describes any limitations on confidentiality;
8. describes the format and potential target adueinces for the dissemination of research findings;
9. instructs participants that they are free to withdraw their consent and discontinue participation in the project at any time, without penalty

Question 9

g.2.b. student/supervisee participation

Answer 9

researchers who involve students or supervisees in research make clear to them that the decision regarding participation in research activities does not affect their academic standing or supervisory relatinship. students or supervisees who choose not to participate in reasearch are provided with an appropriate alternative to fulfill their academic or clinical requirements

Question 10

g.2.c. client participation

Answer 10

counselors conducting research involving clients make clear in the informed consent process that clients are free to choose whether to participate in research activities. counselors take necessary precautions to protect clients from adverse consequences of declining or withdrawing from participation.

Question 11

g.2.d. confidentiality of information

Answer 11

information obtained about research participants during the course of research is confidential. procedures are implemented to protect confidentiality.

Question 12

g.2.e.persons not capable of giving informed consent

Answer 12

when a research participant is not capable of giving informed consent, counselors provide an appropriate explanation to, obtain agreement for participation from, and obtain the appropriate consent of a legally authorized person.

Question 13

g.2.f. commitments to participants

Answer 13

counselors take reasonable measures to honor all commitments to research participants.

Question 14

g.2.g. explanations after data collection

Answer 14

after data are collected, counselors provide participants with full clarification of the nature of the study to remove any misconceptions participants might have regarding the research. where scientific or human values justify delaying or withholding information, counselors take reasonable measures to avoid causing harm.

Question 15

g.2.h. informing sponsors

Answer 15

counselors inform sponsors, institutions, and publication channels regarding research procedures and outcomes. counselors ensure that appropriate bodies and authorities are given pertinent information and acknowledgement.

Question 16

g.2.i. research records custodian

Answer 16

as appropriate, researchers prepare and disseminate to an identified colleague or records custodian a plan for the transfer of research data in the case of their incapacitation, retirement, or death.

Question 17

g.3.a. extending researcher-participant boundaries

Answer 17

researchers consider the risks and benefits of extending current research relationships beyond conventional parameters. when a nonresearch interaction between the researcher and the research participant may be potentially beneficial, the researcher must document, prior to the interaction (when feasible), the rationale for such an interaction, the potential benefit, and anticipated consequences for the research participant. such interactions should be initiated with appropriate consent of the research participant. where unintentional harm occurs to the research participant, the researcher must show evidence of an attempt to remedy such harm.

Question 18

g.3.b. relationships with research participants

Answer 18

sexual or romantic counselor-research participant interactions or relationships with current research participants are prohibited. this prohibition applies to both in-person and electronic interactions or relationships.

Question 19

g.3.c. sexual harassment and research participants

Answer 19

researchers do not condone or subject research participants to sexual harassment.

Question 20

g.4.a. accurate results

Answer 20

counselors plan, conduct, and report research accurately. counselors do not engage in misleading or fraudulent research, distort data, misrepresent data, or deliberately bias their results. they describe the extent to which results are applicable for diverse populations.

Question 21

g.4.b. obligation to report unfavorable results

Answer 21

counselors report the results of any research of professional value. results that reflect unfavorably on institutions, programs, services, prevailing opinions, or vested interests are not withheld.

Question 22

g.4.c. reporting errors

Answer 22

if counselors discover significant errors in their published research, they take reasonable steps to correct such errors in a correction erratum or through other appropriate publication means.

Question 23

g.4.d. identity of participants

Answer 23

counselors who supply data, aid in the research of another person, report research results, or make original data available take due care to disguise the identity of respective participants in the absence of specific authorization from the participants to do otherwise. in situations where participants self-identify their involvement in research studies, researchers take active steps to ensure that data are adapted/changed to protect the identity and welfare of all parties and that discussion of results does not cause harm to participants.

Question 24

g.4.e. replication studeis

Answer 24

counselors are obligated to make available sufficient original research information to qualified professionals who may wish to replicate or extend the study.

Question 25

g.5.a. use of case examples

Answer 25

the use of participants’, clients’, students’, or supervisees’ information for the purpose of case examples in a presentation or publication is permissible only when (a) participants, clients, students, or supervisees have reviewed the material and agreed to its presentation or publication or (b) the information has been sufficiently modified to obscure identity.

Question 26

g.5.b. plagiarism

Answer 26

counselors do not plagiarize; that is, they do not present another person’s work as their own.

Question 27

g.5.c. acknowledging previous work

Answer 27

in publications and presentations, counselors acknowledge and give recognition to previous work on the topic by others or self.

Question 28

g.5.d. contributors

Answer 28

counselors give credit through joint authorship, acknowledgement, footnote statements, or other appropriate means to those who have contributed significantly to research or concept development in accordance with such contributions. the principal contributor is listed first, and minor technical or professional contributions are acknowledged in notes or introductory statements.

Question 29

g.5.e. agreement of contributors

Answer 29

counselors who conduct joint research with colleagues or students/superviors establish agreements in advance regarding allocation of tasks, publication credit, and types of acknowledgement that will be received.

Question 30

g.5.f. student research

Answer 30

manuscripts or professional presentations in any medium that are substantially based on a student’s course papers, projects, dissertations, or theses are used only with the student’s permission and list the student as lead author.

Question 31

g.5.g. duplicate submissions

Answer 31

counselors submit manuscripts for consideration to only one journal at a time. manuscripts that are published in whole or in substantial part in one journal or published work are not submitted for publication to another publisher without acknowledgement and permission from the original publisher.

Question 32

g.5.h. professional review

Answer 32

counselors who review material submitted for publication, research, or other scholarly purposes respect the confidentiality and proprietary rights of those who submitted it. counselors make publication decisions based on valid and defensible standards. counselors review article submissions in a timely manner and based on their scope and competency in research methodologies. counselors who serve as reviewers at the request of editors or publishers make every effort to only review materials that are within their scope of competency and avoid personal biases.