ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

The practice of research is no exception, but like most fields of human endeavor, acceptable standards for research on human subjects have evolved and become more formalized over time. The need for attention to ethical issues arose out of the inhumane treatment of participants in the past years. Legislations and good ethical practices and guidelines were prepared. All professionals are guided by a code of ethics that has evolved over the years to accommodate the changing ethos, values, needs, and expectation s of those who hold a stake in the profession most professions have an overall code of conduct that also governs the way they carry out research. The present paper deals with the history of ethical and legal issues involved in social science research.