Before we can identify the ethical issues that arise in
research we need to have at least a working account of
what research is. To readers who are engaged in research
this question may seem too obvious to need an answer.
It is simply what we do. However, such a definition is
needed in order to distinguish research from related
activities such as audit or journalism, which fall outside
the scrutiny of research ethics committees, and it is
surprisingly difficult to find a definition that distinguishes
satisfactorily between these things. (2
) Consider
the following possible definitions of research: