Ethics in Research: Principles and Practical Considerations

This book draws a connection between ethics and research across social sciences, philosophy, medical sciences and legal sciences, and demonstrates that any research activity needs to be conducted by means of rules deriving from the field of ethics. Although having a common core, such rules assume different characteristics depending on the branch of science, as the contributions on philosophy, medicine, dentistry, law, biotechnology, robotics and architecture highlight. It also investigates the more complex ethical concerns and places them in a larger, technological context. Starting with an introduction to common-sense ethical principles, the contributions then guide the reader, helping them develop and understand a comprehensive knowledge on the field. Notably, it appeared interesting to analyze recent events related to the arrival of the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic in light of ethical principles, highlighting in what terms their applicability can still be confirmed. Moreover, the book makes these topics accessible to a non-expert audience, while also offering alternative reading pathways to inspire more specialized readers.