Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung In der (fach-)öffentlichen Debatte der quantitativ forschenden deutschen Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft spielten forschungsethische Fragen bisher eine eher untergeordnete Rolle. Im Kontext von fachinternen Methodenentwicklungen und gesellschaftlichen Diskursen über gute wissenschaftliche Praxis rücken derzeit jedoch auch forschungsethische Fragen in den Blick des Fachs. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden Ergebnisse einer Online-Befragung von empirisch forschenden Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaftler*innen ( N  = 186) vorgestellt. Sie entstanden im Rahmen des vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderten Verbundprojekts „Forschungsethik in der Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft“. Die Ergebnisse ermöglichen Einsicht in den Stellenwert und den Umgang mit forschungsethischen Fragen im Kontext eigener Forschung, Lehre und Betreuung. Auch mögliche Einflussfaktoren werden untersucht. Insgesamt zeigte sich, dass die Befragten der Forschungsethik einen gewissen Stellenwert beimessen und weitgehend Konsens darüber besteht, dass ihre Relevanz in Zukunft noch zunehmen wird. Dennoch wird das Thema auch kontrovers gesehen. , Abstract Questions of research ethics have so far played a rather subordinate role in the (professional) public debate about quantitative research in German communication and media research (CMR). However, in the context of methodological decisions and societal discourses about science, research ethics debates are gradually beginning to move into the focus of the discipline. It is therefore important to take a closer look at the course of this process. This paper discusses results from an online survey of empirical researchers ( N  = 186) conducted in 2022 as part of the BMBF-funded project Research Ethics in Communication and Media Research (FeKoM). Research ethics refers to different contexts and has the function of providing orientation on societal, institutional as well as on the level of the actors. Research ethics decisions should be discursively negotiated, related to the individual case and, if possible, discussed jointly with all parties involved in the research process. The aim of this paper is to examine the perspective of German researchers and to provide a preliminary overview of the status and treatment of research ethics issues in CMR in the context of the scholars’ own research, teaching and supervision. Previous studies on researchers’ perspectives on research ethics addressed various issues related to researchers’ everyday practice, e.g., challenges of and approaches to solutions, specific research ethics decisions, ethical standards in the research process and in teaching and training. The findings show that from the researchers’ perspective, data protection issues are closely linked to research ethics considerations and that there is a need for more advanced materials and guidelines. In addition, the state of research to date suggests that there are influencing factors that may affect researchers’ research ethics attitudes. These influencing factors can be age, prior experience within certain research areas and related methodological experience in one’s work biography. Against this background, the paper addresses the following research questions: What role do research ethics considerations play in the everyday work of researchers in CMR and how can their practice be described? How does personal research background (empirical approach and career stage) affect research ethics practice? The survey was conducted using the online tool SoSci Survey. 61% of the participants were female, and most were on the younger side: 35% were born between 1981 and 1990, 33% between 1991 and 2000. Almost all respondents worked at a German university. 44% were PhD-students (29% post-docs, 27% professors). The majority used both quantitative and qualitative methods in their research projects. Overall, the results of the online survey showed that the respondents placed a certain importance on research ethics, and there was consensus that importance will increase in the future for various reasons. However, it also became clear that there was a subset of people interested in research ethics who saw the topic as controversial: Research ethics was considered demanding and strenuous, but at the same time as a quality criterion of scientific research. Research ethics decisions were made in various contexts in respondents’ everyday work. They played a role primarily in the area of data protection, which, however, is not actually one of the core areas of research ethics. This result indicated that legal and research ethics issues are intertwined in the perception of the researchers. Ethical decisions were made at all stages of the research process. Overall, respondents attached great importance to the criterion of research ethics—also compared to methodological validity. The practice in which research ethics decisions are made was characterized primarily as a process of coordination and self-initiative: Together with colleagues, but also on their own initiative, solutions were sought. Thus, participants wished for more advanced research ethics materials to support their daily work. In addition, it was important to respondents to communicate their research ethics decisions (e.g., in publications). Furthermore, the topic of research ethics was at least partially integrated into the curriculum (e.g., as a topic area in other courses). It was also discussed in teaching and supervision on an ad hoc basis. Currently, the research ethics work practice of the respondents does not differ by different methodological approaches or career stages. Of course, it must be taken into account that these results are based on a highly self-selective sample. Overall, the results underscored the importance of maintaining, developing and deepening the discourse on research ethics in CMR.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-023-00820-9