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Ethical Considerations in Research | Types & Examples

Published on October 18, 2021 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on June 22, 2023.

Ethical considerations in research are a set of principles that guide your research designs and practices. Scientists and researchers must always adhere to a certain code of conduct when collecting data from people.

The goals of human research often include understanding real-life phenomena, studying effective treatments, investigating behaviors, and improving lives in other ways. What you decide to research and how you conduct that research involve key ethical considerations.

These considerations work to

  • protect the rights of research participants
  • enhance research validity
  • maintain scientific or academic integrity

Table of contents

Why do research ethics matter, getting ethical approval for your study, types of ethical issues, voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, potential for harm, results communication, examples of ethical failures, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research ethics.

Research ethics matter for scientific integrity, human rights and dignity, and collaboration between science and society. These principles make sure that participation in studies is voluntary, informed, and safe for research subjects.

You’ll balance pursuing important research objectives with using ethical research methods and procedures. It’s always necessary to prevent permanent or excessive harm to participants, whether inadvertent or not.

Defying research ethics will also lower the credibility of your research because it’s hard for others to trust your data if your methods are morally questionable.

Even if a research idea is valuable to society, it doesn’t justify violating the human rights or dignity of your study participants.

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Before you start any study involving data collection with people, you’ll submit your research proposal to an institutional review board (IRB) .

An IRB is a committee that checks whether your research aims and research design are ethically acceptable and follow your institution’s code of conduct. They check that your research materials and procedures are up to code.

If successful, you’ll receive IRB approval, and you can begin collecting data according to the approved procedures. If you want to make any changes to your procedures or materials, you’ll need to submit a modification application to the IRB for approval.

If unsuccessful, you may be asked to re-submit with modifications or your research proposal may receive a rejection. To get IRB approval, it’s important to explicitly note how you’ll tackle each of the ethical issues that may arise in your study.

There are several ethical issues you should always pay attention to in your research design, and these issues can overlap with each other.

You’ll usually outline ways you’ll deal with each issue in your research proposal if you plan to collect data from participants.

Voluntary participation means that all research subjects are free to choose to participate without any pressure or coercion.

All participants are able to withdraw from, or leave, the study at any point without feeling an obligation to continue. Your participants don’t need to provide a reason for leaving the study.

It’s important to make it clear to participants that there are no negative consequences or repercussions to their refusal to participate. After all, they’re taking the time to help you in the research process , so you should respect their decisions without trying to change their minds.

Voluntary participation is an ethical principle protected by international law and many scientific codes of conduct.

Take special care to ensure there’s no pressure on participants when you’re working with vulnerable groups of people who may find it hard to stop the study even when they want to.

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Informed consent refers to a situation in which all potential participants receive and understand all the information they need to decide whether they want to participate. This includes information about the study’s benefits, risks, funding, and institutional approval.

You make sure to provide all potential participants with all the relevant information about

  • what the study is about
  • the risks and benefits of taking part
  • how long the study will take
  • your supervisor’s contact information and the institution’s approval number

Usually, you’ll provide participants with a text for them to read and ask them if they have any questions. If they agree to participate, they can sign or initial the consent form. Note that this may not be sufficient for informed consent when you work with particularly vulnerable groups of people.

If you’re collecting data from people with low literacy, make sure to verbally explain the consent form to them before they agree to participate.

For participants with very limited English proficiency, you should always translate the study materials or work with an interpreter so they have all the information in their first language.

In research with children, you’ll often need informed permission for their participation from their parents or guardians. Although children cannot give informed consent, it’s best to also ask for their assent (agreement) to participate, depending on their age and maturity level.

Anonymity means that you don’t know who the participants are and you can’t link any individual participant to their data.

You can only guarantee anonymity by not collecting any personally identifying information—for example, names, phone numbers, email addresses, IP addresses, physical characteristics, photos, and videos.

In many cases, it may be impossible to truly anonymize data collection . For example, data collected in person or by phone cannot be considered fully anonymous because some personal identifiers (demographic information or phone numbers) are impossible to hide.

You’ll also need to collect some identifying information if you give your participants the option to withdraw their data at a later stage.

Data pseudonymization is an alternative method where you replace identifying information about participants with pseudonymous, or fake, identifiers. The data can still be linked to participants but it’s harder to do so because you separate personal information from the study data.

Confidentiality means that you know who the participants are, but you remove all identifying information from your report.

All participants have a right to privacy, so you should protect their personal data for as long as you store or use it. Even when you can’t collect data anonymously, you should secure confidentiality whenever you can.

Some research designs aren’t conducive to confidentiality, but it’s important to make all attempts and inform participants of the risks involved.

As a researcher, you have to consider all possible sources of harm to participants. Harm can come in many different forms.

  • Psychological harm: Sensitive questions or tasks may trigger negative emotions such as shame or anxiety.
  • Social harm: Participation can involve social risks, public embarrassment, or stigma.
  • Physical harm: Pain or injury can result from the study procedures.
  • Legal harm: Reporting sensitive data could lead to legal risks or a breach of privacy.

It’s best to consider every possible source of harm in your study as well as concrete ways to mitigate them. Involve your supervisor to discuss steps for harm reduction.

Make sure to disclose all possible risks of harm to participants before the study to get informed consent. If there is a risk of harm, prepare to provide participants with resources or counseling or medical services if needed.

Some of these questions may bring up negative emotions, so you inform participants about the sensitive nature of the survey and assure them that their responses will be confidential.

The way you communicate your research results can sometimes involve ethical issues. Good science communication is honest, reliable, and credible. It’s best to make your results as transparent as possible.

Take steps to actively avoid plagiarism and research misconduct wherever possible.

Plagiarism means submitting others’ works as your own. Although it can be unintentional, copying someone else’s work without proper credit amounts to stealing. It’s an ethical problem in research communication because you may benefit by harming other researchers.

Self-plagiarism is when you republish or re-submit parts of your own papers or reports without properly citing your original work.

This is problematic because you may benefit from presenting your ideas as new and original even though they’ve already been published elsewhere in the past. You may also be infringing on your previous publisher’s copyright, violating an ethical code, or wasting time and resources by doing so.

In extreme cases of self-plagiarism, entire datasets or papers are sometimes duplicated. These are major ethical violations because they can skew research findings if taken as original data.

You notice that two published studies have similar characteristics even though they are from different years. Their sample sizes, locations, treatments, and results are highly similar, and the studies share one author in common.

Research misconduct

Research misconduct means making up or falsifying data, manipulating data analyses, or misrepresenting results in research reports. It’s a form of academic fraud.

These actions are committed intentionally and can have serious consequences; research misconduct is not a simple mistake or a point of disagreement about data analyses.

Research misconduct is a serious ethical issue because it can undermine academic integrity and institutional credibility. It leads to a waste of funding and resources that could have been used for alternative research.

Later investigations revealed that they fabricated and manipulated their data to show a nonexistent link between vaccines and autism. Wakefield also neglected to disclose important conflicts of interest, and his medical license was taken away.

This fraudulent work sparked vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers. The rate of MMR vaccinations in children fell sharply, and measles outbreaks became more common due to a lack of herd immunity.

Research scandals with ethical failures are littered throughout history, but some took place not that long ago.

Some scientists in positions of power have historically mistreated or even abused research participants to investigate research problems at any cost. These participants were prisoners, under their care, or otherwise trusted them to treat them with dignity.

To demonstrate the importance of research ethics, we’ll briefly review two research studies that violated human rights in modern history.

These experiments were inhumane and resulted in trauma, permanent disabilities, or death in many cases.

After some Nazi doctors were put on trial for their crimes, the Nuremberg Code of research ethics for human experimentation was developed in 1947 to establish a new standard for human experimentation in medical research.

In reality, the actual goal was to study the effects of the disease when left untreated, and the researchers never informed participants about their diagnoses or the research aims.

Although participants experienced severe health problems, including blindness and other complications, the researchers only pretended to provide medical care.

When treatment became possible in 1943, 11 years after the study began, none of the participants were offered it, despite their health conditions and high risk of death.

Ethical failures like these resulted in severe harm to participants, wasted resources, and lower trust in science and scientists. This is why all research institutions have strict ethical guidelines for performing research.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

  • Normal distribution
  • Measures of central tendency
  • Chi square tests
  • Confidence interval
  • Quartiles & Quantiles
  • Cluster sampling
  • Stratified sampling
  • Thematic analysis
  • Cohort study
  • Peer review
  • Ethnography

Research bias

  • Implicit bias
  • Cognitive bias
  • Conformity bias
  • Hawthorne effect
  • Availability heuristic
  • Attrition bias
  • Social desirability bias

Ethical considerations in research are a set of principles that guide your research designs and practices. These principles include voluntary participation, informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, potential for harm, and results communication.

Scientists and researchers must always adhere to a certain code of conduct when collecting data from others .

These considerations protect the rights of research participants, enhance research validity , and maintain scientific integrity.

Research ethics matter for scientific integrity, human rights and dignity, and collaboration between science and society. These principles make sure that participation in studies is voluntary, informed, and safe.

Anonymity means you don’t know who the participants are, while confidentiality means you know who they are but remove identifying information from your research report. Both are important ethical considerations .

You can only guarantee anonymity by not collecting any personally identifying information—for example, names, phone numbers, email addresses, IP addresses, physical characteristics, photos, or videos.

You can keep data confidential by using aggregate information in your research report, so that you only refer to groups of participants rather than individuals.

These actions are committed intentionally and can have serious consequences; research misconduct is not a simple mistake or a point of disagreement but a serious ethical failure.

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Writing Ethical Papers: Top Tips to Ace Your Assignment

17 August, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Kate Smith

Writing a complex essay paper can be a tough task for any student, especially for those who do not have their skills developed well or do not have enough time for lengthy assignments. At the same time, the majority of college students need to keep their grades high to maintain their right to receive merit-based scholarships and continue their studies the next year. To help you with your ethical papers writing, we created this guide. Below, you will find out what an ethical paper is, how to structure it and write it efficiently. 

Ethical Papers

What is an Ethical Paper?

An ethics paper is a type of an argumentative assignment that deals with a certain ethical problem that a student has to describe and solve. Also, it can be an essay where a certain controversial event or concept is elaborated through an ethical lens (e.g. moral rules and principles), or a certain ethical dilemma is explained. Since ethics is connected to moral concepts and choices, a student needs to have a fair knowledge of philosophy and get ready to answer questions related to relationships, justice, professional and social duties, the origin of good and evil, etc., to write a quality paper. Also, writing an ethics paper implies that a student should process a great amount of information regarding their topic and analyze it according to paper terms.

General Aspects of Writing an Ethics Paper

Understanding the ethical papers’ features.

Every essay has differences and features that make it unique. Writing ethical papers implies that a student will use their knowledge of morality and philosophy to resolve a certain ethical dilemma or solve a situation. It can also be a paper in which a student needs to provide their reasoning on ethical or legal circumstances that follow a social issue. Finally, it can be an assignment in which an ethical concept and its application are described. On the contrary, a history essay deals with events that took place somewhen earlier, while a narrative essay is a paper where students demonstrate their storytelling skills, etc.

Defining What Type of Essay Should Be Written

Most of the time, ethical paper topics imply that a student will write an argumentative essay; however, ethics essays can also be descriptive and expository. Each of these essay types has different guidelines for writing, so be sure you know them before you start writing your papers on ethics. In case you missed this step in your ethical paper preparation stage, you would end up writing a paper that misses many important points.

Studying the Ethical Paper Guidelines

Once you get your ethical paper assignment, look through the guidelines that your instructor provided to you. If you receive them during the class, don’t hesitate to pose any questions immediately to remove any misunderstanding before writing an ethics paper outline, or ask for references that you need to use. When you are about to write your first draft, don’t rush: read the paper instructions once again to make sure you understand what is needed from you.

Paying Attention to the Paper Topic

The next thing you need to pay attention to is the ethical paper topic: once you are given one, make sure it falls into the scope of your educational course. After that, consider what additional knowledge may be needed to elaborate on your topic and think about what courses of your program could be helpful for it. Once you are done, read through your topic again to recheck whether you understand your assignment right.

Understanding the Notions of Ethical Arguments, Ethical and Legal Implications, and Ethical Dilemma

Last but not least, another important factor is that a student has to understand the basic terms of the assignment to write a high-quality paper. Ethical arguments are a set of moral rules that are used to defend your position on an ethical issue stated in your essay topic. We refer to ethical versus legal implications when we think about the compensation for certain ethical dilemma outcomes and whether it should be a moral punishment or legal judgment. An ethical dilemma itself refers to a problem or situation which makes an individual doubt what position to take: e.g, abortion, bribery, corruption, etc.

Writing Outline and Structure of an Ethics Paper

Every essay has a structure that makes it a solid piece of writing with straight reasoning and argumentation, and an ethics paper is not an exclusion. This paper has an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Below, we will describe how each part of ethical papers should be organized and what information they should contain.

First comes the introduction. It is the opening part of your paper which helps a reader to get familiar with your topic and understand what your paper will be about. Therefore, it should contain some information on your ethics paper topics and a thesis statement, which is a central statement of your paper.

The essay body is the most substantive part of your essay where all the reasoning and arguments should be presented. Each paragraph should contain an argument that supports or contradicts your thesis statement and pieces of evidence to support your position. Pick at least three arguments to make your position clear in your essay, and then your paper will be considered well-structured.

The third part of an ethics paper outline is a conclusion, which is a finishing essay part. Its goal is to wrap up the whole essay and make the author’s position clear for the last time. The thoughtful formulation in this essay part should be especially clear and concise to demonstrate the writer’s ability to make conclusions and persuade readers.

Also, don’t forget to include the works cited page after your writing. It should mention all the reference materials that you used in your paper in the order of appearance or in the alphabetical one. This page should be formatted according to the assigned formatting style. Most often, the most frequently used format for ethical papers is APA.

20 Examples of Ethical Paper Topics

  • Are there any issues in the 21st century that we can consider immoral and why?
  • What is corporate ethics?
  • Why is being selfish no longer an issue in 2023?
  • Euthanasia: pros and cons
  • Marijuana legalization: should it be allowed all over the world?
  • Is abortion an ethical issue nowadays?
  • Can we invent a universal religion appropriate for all?
  • Is the church necessary to pray to God?
  • Can we forgive infidelity and should we do it?
  • How to react if you are witnessing high school bullying?
  • What are the ways to respond to a family abusing individual?
  • How to demand your privacy protection in a digital world?
  • The history of the American ethical thought
  • Can war be ethical and what should the conflicting sides do to make it possible?
  • Ethical issues of keeping a zoo in 2023
  • Who is in charge of controlling the world’s population?
  • How to achieve equality in the world’s rich and poor gap?
  • Is science ethical?
  • How ethical is genetic engineering?
  • Why many countries refuse to go back to carrying out the death penalty?

Ethical Papers Examples

If you still have no idea about how to write an ethics paper, looking through other students’ successful examples is always a good idea. Below, you can find a relevant ethics paper example that you can skim through and see how to build your reasoning and argumentation in your own paper.

https://www.currentschoolnews.com/education-news/ethics-essay-examples/

https://sites.psu.edu/academy/2014/11/18/essay-2-personal-ethics-and-decision-making/

Ethical Papers Writing Tips

Choose a topic that falls into the ethics course program.

In case you were not given the ethics paper topic, consider choosing it yourself. To do that, brainstorm the ethical issues that fascinate you enough to do research. List all these issues on a paper sheet and then cross out those that are too broad or require expertise that you don’t have. The next step you need to take is to choose three or four ethical topics for papers from the list and try to do a quick search online to find out whether these topics are elaborated enough to find sources and reference materials on them. Last, choose one topic that you like the most and find the most relevant one in terms of available data for reference.

Do your research

Once the topic is chosen and organized, dive deeper into it to find the most credible, reliable, and trusted service. Use your university library, online scientific journals, documentaries, and other sources to get the information from. Remember to take notes while working with every new piece of reference material to not forget the ideas that you will base your argumentation on.

Follow the guidelines for a paper outline

During the preparation for your ethical paper and the process of writing it, remember to follow your professor’s instructions (e.g. font, size, spacing, citation style, etc.). If you neglect them, your grade for the paper will decrease significantly.

Write the essay body first

Do not rush to start writing your ethics papers from the very beginning; to write a good essay, you need to have your outline and thesis statement first. Then, go to writing body paragraphs to demonstrate your expertise on the issue you are writing about. Remember that one supporting idea should be covered in one paragraph and should be followed by the piece of evidence that confirms it.

Make sure your introduction and conclusion translate the same message

After your essay body is done, write a conclusion and an introduction for your paper. The main tip regarding these ethics paper parts is that you should make them interrelated: your conclusion has to restate your introduction but not repeat it. Also, a conclusion should wrap up your writing and make it credible for the audience.

Add citations

Every top-quality paper has the works cited page and citations to demonstrate that the research on the topic has been carried out. Therefore, do not omit this point when formatting your paper: add all the sources to the works cited page and pay attention to citing throughout the text. The latter should be done according to the formatting style indicated in your instructions.

Edit your paper

Last but not least is the editing and proofreading stage that you need to carry out before you submit your paper to your instructor. Consider keeping your first draft away from sight for a day or two to have a rest, and then go back to check it for errors and redundant phrases. Don’t rush to change anything immediately after finishing your writing since you are already tired and less focused, so some mistakes may be missed.

Writing Help by Handmadewriting

If you feel that you need help with writing an ethics paper in view of its chellnging nature, you can contact us and send an order through a respective button. You can add your paper details by following all steps of the order placing process that you will find on the website. Once your order is placed, we will get back to you as soon as possible. You will be able to contact your essay writer and let them know all your wishes regarding your ethical paper.

Our writers have expertise in writing ethical papers including, so you don’t need to worry about the quality of the essay that you will receive. Your assignment will be delivered on time and at a reasonable price. Note that urgent papers will cost slightly more than assignments with a postponed deadline, so do not wait too long to make your order. We will be glad to assist you with your writing and guarantee 24/7 support until you receive your paper.

Lastly, remember that no paper can be written overnight, so if you intend to complete your paper in a few hours, you can end up writing only a first draft with imperfections. If you have only half a day before your task is due, feel free to place an urgent order, and we will deliver it in just three hours.

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Ethical Research Paper Topics

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221 Ethical Dilemma Essay Topics & Examples

An ethical dilemma essay has become an essential part of education for many professions that involve working with people. Below, we’ve collected topics for writing a paper on this subject.

🏆 Best Ethical Dilemma Essay Examples & Topics

📌 simple & easy ethical dilemma essay topics, 💡 most interesting ethical dilemma topics to write about, 🎓 good research topics about ethical dilemma, ✍️ ethical dilemma essay topics for college, ❓ questions for ethical dilemmas.

The concepts of ethics and moral dilemmas have originated long ago. They heavily influence the process of decision-making in a variety of fields, from social work and healthcare to a simple office workplace. Thus, you have to approach the ethical dilemma topic carefully. Writing a paper on the phenomenon should rely on locating the available evidence and citing the latest sources.

In this article, our team has gathered titles for your academic essay. Besides, with our tips and ethical dilemma paper examples, you will understand how to research and write it.

Emotional intelligence essays are an essential part of education for many professions that involve working with people, such as managers and teachers.

The concept is somewhat new, having been first introduced half a century ago and popularized at the end of the last century.

As such, you have to approach the topic carefully and rely on the latest available evidence to avoid citing outdated ideas.

Furthermore, as with any psychology-related topic, you should exhibit general caution and avoid the numerous pitfalls associated with the study of the human mind.

This article will help you understand what you should or should not do to write an excellent paper.

Here are some further tips for your work:

  • Psychology relies on scenarios where a person’s behavior can be as free of outside factors as possible. Toddler observation and scholarly experiments with carefully selected conditions are excellent examples of such situations, and you should use them to ground your descriptions in reality.
  • Be sure to adhere to academic guidelines, avoiding the use of first person, calls to action, and other additions that do not match the format. This approach is useful in general, as it applies to most essays and will be beneficial for future reports and similar submissions.
  • Write an emotional intelligence essay introduction and conclusion at the end of your paper. They make your work easier to read by giving it structure and direction. The introduction should contain a description of the topic and a thesis statement, and the conclusion should sum up the main points.
  • Try to set a central theme and address it in your essay instead of providing a general overview of the topic. There are many emotional intelligence essay questions that can be answered in considerable detail. As such, you should concentrate on one of them without getting distracted and sidetracked.

Come to IvyPanda for ethical dilemma essay examples as well as various titles that will help you begin your writing process!

  • BP Oil Company Ethical Dilemma The damages caused by the spill originated from the effects of the oil on the environment and the damaging effects of the cleanup activities.
  • An Ethical Dilemma Faced by Nestle: Case Analysis International staffing and development help Nestle to organize human resources in accordance with the needs of the company and its strategic goals.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Criminal Justice If one is to discuss the issue with the senior management of the organization in which the crime occurred, there is a high chance that the issue will not be taken as seriously due to […]
  • Ethical Dilemma: Example, Problem, and Solution | Essay Example Secondly, I was supposed to show other employees that no one is above the policies of this company and if anyone commits a mistake the individual must be punished.
  • Family Therapy: Ethical Dilemmas One of the ethical dilemmas in the case is that of deciding whether or not to disclose the information about Breen’s relationship with her boyfriend to her parents.
  • Ethical Dilemma of Child Abuse In the above example, a nurse has to apply rational judgment to analyze the extent and threats when making decisions in the best interest of the victim of child abuse.
  • Early Childhood Education Center’s Ethical Dilemma Therefore, it is necessary to involve different people in the discussion of this case because there are several ethical responsibilities applied to a new child, the children of the class, the staff, parents, and the […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas Facing Teachers The proponents of this system claim that it is authentic and offers a first hand experience to the learners. The needs in this system include having a strong foundation in the areas that the knowledge […]
  • Richard Angelo: A Serial Killer and His Ethical Dilemma The convicted claimed he made the injections to cause crises to be able to revive patients and become a hero in front of his colleagues.
  • Samsung’s Ethical Dilemma of Child Labor The paper will critically analyze the ethical dimensions of the dilemma from the perspective of the utilitarian ethical theory. It will be argued that according to the fundamental principles of the theory, the company’s behavior […]
  • The Ford Pinto Case and Ethical Dilemma Lee Iacocca, the Ford company’s president, was accused of disregarding the need to improve the safety of Pinto cars due to the increased cost.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Counselling and Treatment Methods The case of Brett has become an ethical issue based on the following; questions are revolving around what information can be released to the parents and parents request to review the diagnosis since no procedure […]
  • Ethical Dilemma: Counselors Engaging in Relations with Clients They should keep a boundary in the way they relate to the clients to ensure that their relationship with the client does no harm or pose potential harm to the clients.
  • Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: Case Study Today, being a nurse is associated with a number of complexities due to the need to comply with diverse obligations in social, political, and healthcare segments.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Social Workers’ Practice In order to resolve the emerging dilemma, it is necessary to identify the involved stakeholders, model two possible courses of events, evaluate the implications of each and come to a conclusion regarding the preferential option […]
  • Public Administration Ethical Dilemma and Theories Smith should take the responsibility of ensuring that the needs of the majority are upheld since the welfare of the community, and the organization is of importance.
  • Ethical Dilemma in “The Reader” Film by S. Daldry She is surprised and confused by the hypocrisy of the judges and her co-defendants, who act as if they do not remember that period and as if they were not part of that society.
  • Ethical Dilemma in Healthcare Administration Ethical concerns root for the distinction and separation of clinical ethics and business ethics in order to avoid complications of the responsibilities in the health care system.
  • Ethical Dilemma of Patient Care Delivery However, the administration of more pain depressants is likely to escalate the addiction problem while the denial of the medication will aggravate the patient’s suffering.
  • The Ethical Dilemma: Siemens In relation to the above dilemmas, the bounded bribery applies to the psychological tendency of the conspirators to fulfill selfish interests of self enrichment at the expense of the shareholders’ goals and objectives.
  • The Unocal Firm’s Ethical Dilemma in Burma The oil corporation was eager to investigate oil potential in Burma, a place that the rest of the world had abandoned due to several problems.
  • Decision Making Challenges Facing Ethical Dilemma In the same way the performance of line managers is judged by the quality of the decisions they make. From the management of Herbs garden products, the following steps could be taken: State the problem […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Workplace Analysis Therefore, the main purpose of this project is to explore the types of dilemmas and the factors that affect the workers response to the dilemmas in a workplace.
  • “Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice” by Pollock If hunting is the primary means of survival of a particular society, the euthanasia of the elderly and the sick can be deemed acceptable.
  • Ethical Dilemma in Journalism A good example is the clause in the code of ethics that states that reporters are supposed to show reverence to the privacy and dignity of the public.
  • International Satellite Images Ethical Dilemma Comprehensively, when the code of ethics is entrenched as part of ISI’s business culture, the company would have a seamless process for managing ethical dilemmas.
  • Solving Ethical Dilemmas in Public Relations In the case study, the main problem arises from the client’s deceit concerning the independent nature of the scientist testing the products in a bid to ensure a favorable public image of the products to […]
  • Domestic Violence Ethical Dilemmas in Criminal Justice Various ethical issues such as the code of silence, the mental status of the offender, and limited evidence play a vital role in challenging the discretion of police officers in arresting the DV perpetrators.
  • Abortion: An Ethical Dilemma and Legal Position The core concerns in the controversy are whether women should have the right to decide to terminate a pregnancy or whether the unborn child has the right to life.
  • Journalism Ethical Dilemma: Moral Discourse This situation resulted in an ethical dilemma for the journalist who has to decide whether to publish the article about the accident and potentially dangerous products or to take the money and remain silent.
  • Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go” and Major Ethical Dilemmas Raised Some claim that since clones are created in a laboratory with the help of specific tools and with the number of certain genes, they cannot be regarded as humans. In conclusion, it is necessary to […]
  • Workplace Health & Safety: The Ethical Dilemmas In addition, this paper focuses on the theoretical framework of the ethical dilemmas of the employers about workplace environment, and the activities of Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
  • Ethical Dilemma- The Fate of Opel Foreign direct investment has a number of benefits to the economy of the host countries. In case the host countries do not have adequate labor necessary in the accomplishment of organizational goals, the multinational companies […]
  • Hyundai Dispatch Workers and Ethical Dilemma According to the workers, the leadership of Hyundai was responsible for the safety of the employees at the workplace. The representatives of the temporary employees occupied the company requiring changes in the employment terms.
  • Ethical Dilemma: The Missing Needle Protector Health care professionals and patients have to develop a level of trust to support the recovery process for patients and the status of the hospital.
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  • Ethical Dilemma at Abura Petrol Station He felt grateful to his friend for offering a job and wanted to meet the hopes of the petrol network’s owner.
  • Civil-Military Tension as Ethical Dilemma The first is to accept the situation as it is without questions, strictly following the orders and observing the limitations of their inferior position as consultants to the government.
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  • Ethical Dilemma: Benefiting from High-Conflicting Personality The primary reason for the potential ignorance of one’s wrongdoing is the positive consequences of their actions that outweigh the total harm they bring.
  • Ethical Dilemma. Legal Protection for Employee On the other hand, the leaving colleague might have a change of heart and remain with the original company, so revealing the plans to the boss will affect his opportunities.
  • Abortion as Moral and Ethical Dilemma Despite the conflicting approaches to solving the moral and ethical dilemma of abortion, experts agree that it is possible to reduce the severity of the problem with the help of more excellent sexual education of […]
  • “Ethical Dilemmas in MNCs’ International Staffing Policies” by Banai and Sama The paper assumes that in the age of the rise of global international corporations international staffing policies acquire the top priority because of their impact on outcomes.
  • Contemporary Ethical Reflection: Ethical and Legal Dilemmas in Health Care The counties also blamed the state for being ignorant of the problem of adequate financing of the Medicaid program on supporting the poor and disables.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in the Hiibel Legal Case in Nevada The search had a reasonable suspicion since, during the investigation of the assault, Hiibel was within the area of search, and when he was asked his name, he failed to answer the police officer.
  • Baby and Mother: End of Life Ethical Dilemma To sum the above mentioned, it should be mentioned that patients, physicians, and caregivers face a lot of dilemmas in regards to life situations.
  • Unethical Practices: Michael Jackson, Ethical Dilemma The case between the people and the king of pop, Michael Jackson, elicited two main ethical concerns: the passion of the prosecutor to convict the defendant and the possibility of the prosecutor to be an […]
  • Noting the Error in Projections: Scott Bestor’s Ethical Dilemma The second ethical issue is balancing the expectations of the management and the consequences of reporting the error in projections. Scott is aware that reporting the error to the management might result in disciplinary action […]
  • Behavior of a Police Officer Within an Ethical Dilemma First and foremost, one should note that one of the most typical ethical concerns in the relevant field is the cases of discrimination on the ground of the national origin.
  • Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Practice The psychologist can help the patient deal with the emotional aspect of pain. These skills empower the patient to cope with the pain and the side effects of treatment.
  • Accounting: Ethical Dilemmas Equally, I will consider the repercussions of agreeing to the command. I will also consider being a whistleblower and report the matter to the relevant authorities.
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  • Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Finding a solution to the ethical issues in Max’s case was important because failure to do so would have different consequences for the patient, the parents, and the caregivers.
  • Moral, Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Suicide Since it is a duty of medical practitioners to treat and care for patients, it would be immoral to allow a patient to commit suicide.
  • Asthma and Medications: The Ethical Dilemma in Treating Children One of the major causes of dilemma, however, is the inability to manage and treat the condition in children under the age of 7 years due to ethical dilemma.
  • Ethical and Moral Dilemmas in Accounting and Business Entities This may paint a wrong picture of the actual position of the company and may lead to collapsing if irregularities are not addressed as in the case of Enron.
  • An Ethical Dilemma – Religious Belief Versus Medical Practice In the first step, the ethical dilemma is between the principle of beneficence in the treatment of meningitis and the principle of autonomy with respect to the decision of the parents.
  • Ethical Dilemma for Sam Torres In this case, it is possible to distinguish several ethical issues: 1) the conflict between Sam’s professional principles and his private interest such as desire to retain his job; 2) the interests of Bull & […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas That Practitioners Face in the Company According to the findings of the commission, it was discovered that ethical issues affecting the police body has to do with process corruption, issue of gratuities and improper associations, substance abuse, fraudulent practices, assaults and […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Business Processes Henry on the other hand is a manager and we are not told whether his organization is prepared to allow all staff to make use of such offers as that which Claire has provided in […]
  • Virtue Ethics: One Way to Resolve an Ethical Dilemma Other members of the usability team argue that although there was a clear loophole that the external members can choose to exploit so that they can be released from the work that they need to […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas Within Organisations During the COVID-19 The moral analysis of the acts of the management of Britannia Hotel can also be analyzed based on the ethics of duties with an emphasis on the individual.
  • Ethical Dilemma: Parental Notification The main issue that is to be addressed is that the boy asks the counselor not to notify his parents about the drug problem, but is it ethical to keep this information confidential?
  • LinkedIn Ethical Dilemma The candidates most likely to be recruited by the employers using the LinkedIn website are the premium account holders whose applications appear at the top of the applications pile.
  • The Ethical Dilemma: Aborting Babies With Handicaps The standard for such a condition is the elimination of the fetus and the doctor prescribed it as the only solution that would save the other of the twins.
  • NASW Code of Ethics: Social Workers and Ethical Dilemmas As part of my action, I accessed her files and changed the date that she was to leave the facility by adding a month to it. However, I had acted professionally because it was in […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas Overview and Analysis This student should be advised to report the matter to a teacher so that the owner of the iPod can be traced.
  • Resolving Ethical Dilemmas Considering that this may be an argument between younger and older generations, one can argue that there is a significant difference between the way that both house owners and the person that wants to buy […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Mental Health Treatment Treatment of inmates with psychological problems is a delicate and sensitive process because such inmates are not in the normal state to reason.
  • Empress Luxury Lines: Ethical Dilemma The dilemma infringes on Antonio’s principles and values because he thinks that the conduct of the company is not by the insurance company’s policies and principles and that, the management team should face the law.
  • The Ethical Dilemma by Pureco Corporation As the Pureco manager, I have the obligation of maximizing the stakeholders’ welfare, and considering that the company had already invested quite a huge sum of money in the establishment and marketing of the Newpen […]
  • The Ethical Dilemma of Practicing Psychology of Acceptable Training At first blush, many people will probably agree that this additional element is the collection of moral principles and values of what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas: Morgan Brown Real Estate Company In the case of the latter ethical dilemma, it would be more effective and honest for this particular company to accept the fact that favouring one client over the other could lead to a tarnished […]
  • Possible Solutions to the Ethical Dilemmas This varied, different group of the workforce is being required to work harmoniously jointly in the strength of teamwork and respect for the advantage of the company and the public they deal with.
  • The Tobacco Marketing Ethical Dilemma The epidemiological evidence of the deadly tobacco effect in 1964 set the precedence for the mistrust between the tobacco production stakeholders and the public interest groups, that has led to long battle between the two […]
  • Organ Donation: Ethical Dilemmas An example of an ethical dilemma surrounding the procedure is the case of rich man vs.poor man, or rather, the case of a person who can afford to buy an organ on the black market […]
  • Aging and Cultural Diversity: Ethical Dilemmas Indeed, however absurd it may sound at first, this reading is right in pointing out that aging and cultural diversity do relate to each other and form a single concept relative to the formation of […]
  • Ethical Dilemma in Teacher Career One was the departmental association vice president and the professor in the university; he was also the advisor of a student that had a hard relationship with one’s colleague the professor of physics.
  • Dementia: Ethical Dilemmas Opting to withdraw the tube may lead to the physiological deprivation of the patient and as a result, the worst-case scenario is the death of the patient.
  • Ethical Dilemma: Solving a Situation, Decision Theory Under business ethics, this is a form of art which is said to examine the ethical principles or even the moral problems which might tend to occur as a result of running the business and […]
  • Ethical Dilemma in the Psychologists Career Therefore, the dilemma that I faced as a school psychologist dealing with the psychological issues of Ayesha has been the ethical choice needed to be taken between what is good and what is wrong that […]
  • Ethical Dilemma in Mental Health Patient Care My ethical response to the situation was that Catherine should only be attended to by the female staff especially when she was naked and that only the female staff needed to have access to the […]
  • The Acme Title Pawn Employee’s Ethical Dilemma While the situation is controversial, it can be stated that Joe should change the workplace and explain to his family the reasons for such a decision.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in the Nursing Field As a human, I felt that the safety of the lady took precedence; hence I could not allow her to walk alone. As a nurse leader, I would encourage my staff to always put the […]
  • Google Inc.’s Historical Ethical Dilemmas It is sad to say that various forms of unethical behavior are common in the workforce, and specific analysis is required to determine the impact of this phenomenon on the business industry.
  • Performance-Enhancing Drugs Use as Ethical Dilemma According to Christian beliefs, Paul should refuse to partake in the team’s abuse of PEDs because it offers him and his teammates an unfair advantage over other athletes.
  • Medical Ethical Dilemmas: Taking a Stand Morality is the idea of correctness and rightness that is constructed on people’s experiences and applied to the life of society.
  • Ethical Advertising: Dilemmas and Resolutions One of the core aspects that should not be overlooked is that the number of competitors is going to increase significantly, and it is entirely possible that the company will suffer because of such policies.
  • Wasta (Nepotism) Ethical Dilemma at the Workplace Moreover, with the present social costs in our society that have arisen through the use of wasta, it is impossible to justify the use of wasta in hiring and performing business transactions.
  • The Ethical Dilemma: Case of Chantu The ethical dilemma in the case of Chant is that her father wants her to leave school to manage the house and look after her three siblings.
  • Ethical Dilemma on the Company Valuation Mistake I could inform my team and the company boards of the said mistake; I could inform the team but keep the company in the dark, or I could ignore the mistake altogether.
  • Flight 93 Incident and Ethical Dilemma This paper evaluates the ethical standing of this question from a utilitarian point of view to establish the rightness or wrongness of the decision to shoot down the plane before it crashed.
  • Police Corruption and Citizen’s Ethical Dilemma There are three key stakeholders in the given situation, which are the policemen, who set the terms; the father, who is to take the pivoting decision; and the family, who depends on the decision which […]
  • Poverty in America: An Ethical Dilemma In contrast, a considerable percentage of the populations believe the society has the moral obligation to eradicate poverty, and thus, they hold the view that the solution to poverty reduction lies in the socioeconomic policies.
  • Ethical Dilemma Involving a Social Worker As a social worker, I have to decide whether to support the community group, which is unanimously opposed to the decision of the housing authorities to rent to the local mental health department to establish […]
  • Women’s Ethical Dilemma in the United States Army I had wanted to demonstrate to girls in schools across the country that it is possible for a woman to succeed in the American military. One of the greatest principles I have embraced in my […]
  • Environmental Protection Agency’s Ethical Dilemma It is trying to find ways of meeting the demands of the new administration but in a way that will not compromise the need to protect the environment.
  • Physician-Assisted Dying: Legal and Ethical Dilemma The case study relates to the right of a patient to die in various ways. To begin with, terminally ill people have the right to choose whether to live, or be allowed to pass on.
  • Suicidal Ideation as Ethical Dilemma in Nursing According to the ethical guidelines that govern the profession of a nurse and other health care providers, their primary role is to protect life by enhancing the status of wellness of the patient.
  • California Micro Devices Company: Ethical Dilemma In 1989, Price Waterhouse, the firm’s chief auditor, observed that the company was engaging in questionable accounting practices and business dealings.
  • Ethical Dilemma & Glyphosate: Post Foods Company In this case, some experts believe that it is a vivid instance of the unethical business practices, as Post Foods’s consumers do not expect to find any pesticides in the products that are overtly advertised […]
  • Ethical Dilemma and Environmental Surveillance Companies, for example, Planet Labs and Digital Globe have dispatched many miniaturized satellites in the most recent year with the objective of recording the status of the whole earth in real-time.
  • ProTech Company’s Ethical Dilemma According to the analysis of the data performed by Staci, the company seems to be having a high potential for growth over the next half-decade.
  • Ethical Dilemma in Business Communication Today This paper explores this dilemma in terms of the extent to which a firm may abide by the ethical provisions against the backdrop of the heightening competition.
  • Arranged Marriage and Its Ethical Dilemma His family would be happy to see him married to the person they chose, and his father would save his reputation.
  • Ethical Dilemma: Swimming Pool Building This is evident when the contractor conducts the private work of the mayor without any delay, as well as the birthday gift that the contractor advances to the mayor as a friend.
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Prison’s Research The present paper aims to discuss the applicability of confidentiality and privacy provisions to prison research by addressing both the general rules regarding confidentiality of information in research and the specific considerations that apply to […]
  • The Right to Die: Legal and Ethical Dilemma Consequently, the primary goal of the paper is to discover the freedoms of a patient, specifically, the right to die with the help of a controversial and confusing case of Mrs.
  • Teacher’s Ethical Dilemma and Legal Responsibilities However, she is legally obligated not to leak exams to her students in any way because that would defeat the very purpose of the exams.
  • A Compliance Officer Ethical Dilemma According to the compliance officer that was interviewed for this project, the SMAA program anticipated the high cost or unnecessary expenditures that are going to affect the reimbursement process if the physicians and other health […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Professional Psychology In this case, it is essential that he explains to the client the legal consequences he will face should it be discovered that he is having a social relationship with her.
  • HBOS Plc Company’s Ethical Dilemma The ethical dilemma in the case is that the top management of the company used complex nature of the financial statements and the weaknesses in the accounting standards to manipulate the financial records with an […]
  • Employee’s Role in Ethical Dilemma Jan is aware of the possible layoffs at JLT that could affect Steve, and she knows the expenses that Steve, unaware of the resolution by the leadership, is about to make in building a house […]
  • Ethical Dilemma: Political Involvement in Abortion The development of medicine brought the issue to the fore in the late 19th century. Therefore, it is but natural that it is the right of a woman to make the choice.
  • Nuclear Waste Management Ethical Dilemmas However, the creation of energy through nuclear reactions leads to the production of radioactive by-products that are dangerous to the environment.
  • KLM Company Responsibilities Ethical Dilemma To ensure that the expansion plan remained alive, the director suggested that a small team of employees should be a commission to start surveying the new market to identify the location where the firm would […]
  • Medical Error Disclosure: Ethical Dilemma The topic in question was chosen due to the obvious conflict between the interests of the patient and the population, in general, which medical ethics supposedly protects, and the interests of the provider, who is […]
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Communities
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  • Public Scrutiny and Accountability: An Ethical Dilemma
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  • Cultural Clash in the Board Room: An Ethical Dilemma Among Top Management in Almond China
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  • Ethics in Professional Psychology: Abortion Issue
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  • Globalization and Its Impact on the Health Care System: Ethical Dilemmas of Medical Treatment
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  • What Are the Examples of Ethical Dilemmas?
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  • Which Scenarios Are the Examples of True Ethics Dilemmas?
  • What Are the Most Difficult Ethical Dilemmas People Can Face?
  • How Do You Identify Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Are the Examples of Ethical Dilemmas in School?
  • What Are Some Examples of Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare?
  • What Are the Seven Major Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing Practice?
  • What Are Some Common Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Is the Difference between Ethical Issues and Ethical Dilemmas?
  • How Does a Person Resolve Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Are the Ethical Dilemmas in Telephone Nursing?
  • What Are the Four Core Ethical Dilemmas Social Work Is Concerned With?
  • What Is Another Term for Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Are Nurses’ Contributions to the Resolution of Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Are the Four Steps for Solving Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Are the Ethical Dilemmas of War?
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  • What Are Ethical Dilemmas in a Community?
  • What Are the Ethical Dilemmas in Various Stages of Organizational Development?
  • What Are Some Ethical Dilemmas for Students?
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  • What Is the Anatomy of the Ethical Dilemmas?
  • What Ethical Dilemmas Arose Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
  • What Are the Ethical Dilemmas in a Cross-Cultural Context?
  • What Is the Frequency of Ethical Dilemmas in a Medical Inpatient Service?
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

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How to Write a Paper on Ethical Dilemmas

Kristyn hammond, 25 jun 2018.

How to Write a Paper on Ethical Dilemmas

An ethical dilemma occurs when two or more specific ethical ideals are at odds and you must make a decision, founded on your logical assessment, about which ethical ideal is more important. Ethical dilemmas allow you to investigate ethical questions from an analytical point of view and make a final determination for yourself. In a paper format, this process is the same and you must make sure that each point is clear and logical.

Outline the specific ethical dilemma to identify the focus of your topic. If your topic does not contain a specific ethical dilemma, create one for yourself to use as an example through your writing. Make sure that your dilemma is ethical in nature by ensuring that it challenges two separate ethical assertions and forces you to decide between the two. For instance, you may decide to use the ethical dilemma of a hungry person deciding to steal food for himself and his family.

Determine which ethical standards are being challenged and in what way they are being challenged, to outline your ethical dilemma. List all significant elements of your ethical dilemma. As an example, the question of whether or not to steal for survival challenges the ethical forbearance against theft contrasted with the need for survival. You can consider other ethical elements, such as the difference between the loss of food by the store owner against the loss of life by the thief and his family.

Create your paper outline and arrange the elements of your ethical dilemma into individual sections. Make sure that your paper’s logic flows freely through your paper in order to allow you to arrive at a conclusion. For instance, your first section may question the ethical forbearance against theft and whether it is absolute. Your second section may question the right to survival and whether it is absolute. Your final section may compare the difference in severity between the shopkeeper who loses some food and the family that could perish for lack of it. This could become complex because the shopkeeper could end up in the same situation if enough of his stock is stolen.

Write your paper with a strong introduction that grabs your reader’s attention and establishes your paper’s thesis. Write each section individually, clearly examining your points throughout, and include clear transition statements between each of your sections.

Create a conclusion that brings all of your points together and establishes a final assessment of your ethical dilemma, supported by the points you made in your paper.

  • 1 Western Kentucky University: Written Response to Ethical Dilemma
  • 2 Purdue OWL: How to Decipher the Paper Assignment; Allen Brizee; 2010

About the Author

Kristyn Hammond has been teaching freshman college composition at the university level since 2010. She has experience teaching developmental writing, freshman composition, and freshman composition and research. She currently resides in Central Texas where she works for a small university in the Texas A&M system of schools.

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how to write a research paper on ethical dilemma

Addressing ethical issues in your research proposal

This article explores the ethical issues that may arise in your proposed study during your doctoral research degree.

What ethical principles apply when planning and conducting research?

Research ethics are the moral principles that govern how researchers conduct their studies (Wellcome Trust, 2014). As there are elements of uncertainty and risk involved in any study, every researcher has to consider how they can uphold these ethical principles and conduct the research in a way that protects the interests and welfare of participants and other stakeholders (such as organisations).  

You will need to consider the ethical issues that might arise in your proposed study. Consideration of the fundamental ethical principles that underpin all research will help you to identify the key issues and how these could be addressed. As you are probably a practitioner who wants to undertake research within your workplace, consider how your role as an ‘insider’ influences how you will conduct your study. Think about the ethical issues that might arise when you become an insider researcher (for example, relating to trust, confidentiality and anonymity).  

What key ethical principles do you think will be important when planning or conducting your research, particularly as an insider? Principles that come to mind might include autonomy, respect, dignity, privacy, informed consent and confidentiality. You may also have identified principles such as competence, integrity, wellbeing, justice and non-discrimination.  

Key ethical issues that you will address as an insider researcher include:

  • Gaining trust
  • Avoiding coercion when recruiting colleagues or other participants (such as students or service users)
  • Practical challenges relating to ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of organisations and staff or other participants.

(Heslop et al, 2018)

A fuller discussion of ethical principles is available from the British Psychological Society’s Code of Human Research Ethics (BPS, 2021).

You can also refer to guidance from the British Educational Research Association and the British Association for Applied Linguistics .

Pebbles balance on a stone see-saw

Ethical principles are essential for protecting the interests of research participants, including maximising the benefits and minimising any risks associated with taking part in a study. These principles describe ethical conduct which reflects the integrity of the researcher, promotes the wellbeing of participants and ensures high-quality research is conducted (Health Research Authority, 2022).  

Research ethics is therefore not simply about gaining ethical approval for your study to be conducted. Research ethics relates to your moral conduct as a doctoral researcher and will apply throughout your study from design to dissemination (British Psychological Society, 2021). When you apply to undertake a doctorate, you will need to clearly indicate in your proposal that you understand these ethical principles and are committed to upholding them.  

Where can I find ethical guidance and resources? 

Professional bodies, learned societies, health and social care authorities, academic publications, Research Ethics Committees and research organisations provide a range of ethical guidance and resources. International codes such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underpin ethical frameworks (United Nations, 1948).  

You may be aware of key legislation in your own country or the country where you plan to undertake the research, including laws relating to consent, data protection and decision-making capacity, for example, the Data Protection Act, 2018 (UK).  If you want to find out more about becoming an ethical researcher, check out this Open University short course: Becoming an ethical researcher: Introduction and guidance: What is a badged course? - OpenLearn - Open University  

You should be able to justify the research decisions you make. Utilising these resources will guide your ethical judgements when writing your proposal and ultimately when designing and conducting your research study. The Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (British Educational Research Association, 2018) identifies the key responsibilities you will have when you conduct your research, including the range of stakeholders that you will have responsibilities to, as follows:   

  • to your participants (e.g. to appropriately inform them, facilitate their participation and support them)
  • clients, stakeholders and sponsors
  • the community of educational or health and social care researchers
  • for publication and dissemination
  • your wellbeing and development

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (no date) has emphasised the need to promote equality, diversity and inclusion when undertaking research, particularly to address long-standing social and health inequalities. Research should be informed by the diversity of people’s experiences and insights, so that it will lead to the development of practice that addresses genuine need. A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion aims to eradicate prejudice and discrimination on the basis of an individual or group of individuals' protected characteristics such as sex (gender), disability, race, sexual orientation, in line with the Equality Act 2010.  

The NIHR has produced guidance for enhancing the inclusion of ‘under-served groups’ when designing a research study (2020). Although the guidance refers to clinical research it is relevant to research more broadly.  

You should consider how you will promote equality and diversity in your planned study, including through aspects such as your research topic or question, the methodology you will use, the participants you plan to recruit and how you will analyse and interpret your data.    

What ethical issues do I need to consider when writing my research proposal?

Camera equipment set up filming a man talking

You might be planning to undertake research in a health, social care, educational or other setting, including observations and interviews. The following prompts should help you to identify key ethical issues that you need to bear in mind when undertaking research in such settings.  

1.     Imagine you are a potential participant. Think about the questions and concerns that you might have:

  • How would you feel if a researcher sat in your space and took notes, completed a checklist, or made an audio or film recording?
  • What harm might a researcher cause by observing or interviewing you and others?
  • What would you want to know about the researcher and ask them about the study before giving consent?
  • When imagining you are the participant, how could the researcher make you feel more comfortable to be observed or interviewed? 

2.     Having considered the perspective of your potential participant, how would you take account of concerns such as privacy, consent, wellbeing and power in your research proposal?  

[Adapted from OpenLearn course: Becoming an ethical researcher, Week 2 Activity 3: Becoming an ethical researcher - OpenLearn - Open University ]  

The ethical issues to be considered will vary depending on your organisational context/role, the types of participants you plan to recruit (for example, children, adults with mental health problems), the research methods you will use, and the types of data you will collect. You will need to decide how to recruit your participants so you do not inappropriately exclude anyone.  Consider what methods may be necessary to facilitate their voice and how you can obtain their consent to taking part or ensure that consent is obtained from someone else as necessary, for example, a parent in the case of a child. 

You should also think about how to avoid imposing an unnecessary burden or costs on your participants. For example, by minimising the length of time they will have to commit to the study and by providing travel or other expenses. Identify the measures that you will take to store your participants’ data safely and maintain their confidentiality and anonymity when you report your findings. You could do this by storing interview and video recordings in a secure server and anonymising their names and those of their organisations using pseudonyms.  

Professional codes such as the Code of Human Research Ethics (BPS, 2021) provide guidance on undertaking research with children. Being an ‘insider’ researching within your own organisation has advantages. However, you should also consider how this might impact on your research, such as power dynamics, consent, potential bias and any conflict of interest between your professional and researcher roles (Sapiro and Matthews, 2020).  

How have other researchers addressed any ethical challenges?

The literature provides researchers’ accounts explaining how they addressed ethical challenges when undertaking studies. For example, Turcotte-Tremblay and McSween-Cadieux (2018) discuss strategies for protecting participants’ confidentiality when disseminating findings locally, such as undertaking fieldwork in multiple sites and providing findings in a generalised form. In addition, professional guidance includes case studies illustrating how ethical issues can be addressed, including when researching online forums (British Sociological Association, no date).

Watch the videos below and consider what insights the postgraduate researcher and supervisor provide  regarding issues such as being an ‘insider researcher’, power relations, avoiding intrusion, maintaining participant anonymity and complying with research ethics and professional standards. How might their experiences inform the design and conduct of your own study?

Postgraduate researcher and supervisor talk about ethical considerations

Your thoughtful consideration of the ethical issues that might arise and how you would address these should enable you to propose an ethically informed study and conduct it in a responsible, fair and sensitive manner. 

British Educational Research Association (2018)  Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research.  Available at:  https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

British Psychological Society (2021)  Code of Human Research Ethics . Available at:  https://cms.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/BPS%20Code%20of%20Human%20Research%20Ethics%20%281%29.pdf  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

British Sociological Association (2016)  Researching online forums . Available at:  https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/24834/j000208_researching_online_forums_-cs1-_v3.pdf  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

Health Research Authority (2022)  UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research . Available at:  https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/policies-standards-legislation/uk-policy-framework-health-social-care-research/uk-policy-framework-health-and-social-care-research/#chiefinvestigators  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

Heslop, C., Burns, S., Lobo, R. (2018) ‘Managing qualitative research as insider-research in small rural communities’,  Rural and Remote Health , 18: pp. 4576.

Equality Act 2010, c. 15.  Available at:   https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/introduction   (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

National Institute for Health and Care Research (no date)  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) . Available at:  https://arc-kss.nihr.ac.uk/public-and-community-involvement/pcie-guide/how-to-do-pcie/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-edi  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

National Institute for Health and Care Research (2020)  Improving inclusion of under-served groups in clinical research: Guidance from INCLUDE project.  Available at:   https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/improving-inclusion-of-under-served-groups-in-clinical-research-guidance-from-include-project/25435  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

Sapiro, B. and Matthews, E. (2020) ‘Both Insider and Outsider. On Conducting Social Work Research in Mental Health Settings’,  Advances in Social Work , 20(3). Available at:  https://doi.org/10.18060/23926

Turcotte-Tremblay, A. and McSween-Cadieux, E. (2018) ‘A reflection on the challenge of protecting confidentiality of participants when disseminating research results locally’,  BMC Medical Ethics,  19(supplement 1), no. 45. Available at:   https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12910-018-0279-0

United Nations General Assembly (1948)  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights . Resolution A/RES/217/A. Available at:  https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights#:~:text=Drafted%20by%20representatives%20with%20different,all%20peoples%20and%20all%20nations . (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

Wellcome Trust (2014)  Ensuring your research is ethical: A guide for Extended Project Qualification students . Available at:  https://wellcome.org/sites/default/files/wtp057673_0.pdf  (Accessed: 9 June 2023).

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How to Write an Ethics Paper

Last Updated: May 16, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA . Emily Listmann is a private tutor in San Carlos, California. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 251,819 times.

Writing an ethics paper can present some unique challenges. For the most part, the paper will be written like any other essay or research paper, but there are some key differences. An ethics paper will generally require you to argue for a specific position rather than simply present an overview of an issue. Arguing this position will also involve presenting counterarguments and then refuting them. Finally, ensuring that your reasoning is valid and sound and citing the appropriate sources will allow you to write an ethics paper that will satisfy any critic.

Getting Started

Step 1 Make sure that you understand the assignment.

  • What is the main objective of the assignment?
  • What specific things do you need to do in order to get a good grade?
  • How much time will you need to complete the assignment?

Step 2 Choose a topic for your ethics paper.

  • For example, you might begin with a topic of "ethical problems of euthanasia." This is very broad, and so forms a good starting point.

Step 3 Narrow down your topic.

  • Remember, you may refine your topic even further after you have begun writing your paper. This is perfectly acceptable, and is part of the advantage of writing a paper in multiple drafts.

Step 4 Outline the relevant issues to your topic.

  • For example, you might include issues such as: "describing specifically what is meant by 'extreme, constant pain.' "Other issues might include, "the rights and responsibilities of physicians regarding euthanasia," and "voluntary versus involuntary euthanasia."
  • After making this list, group or order them in some way. For example, you might imagine yourself taking the position that euthanasia is acceptable in this circumstance, and you could order the issues based on how you would draw supporting evidence and build your claim.

Developing Your Thesis Statement

Step 1 Draft your thesis statement.

  • In your thesis, you should take a specific stand on the ethical issue. For example, you might write your thesis as follows: "Euthanasia is an immoral option even when patients are in constant, extreme pain."

Step 2 Remove ambiguous language to clarify your exact position.

  • For example, this thesis statement is ambiguous: "Patients should not undergo euthanasia even when suffering constant, extreme pain." With how it's worded, it's unclear whether you mean that euthanasia should be outlawed or that it is morally wrong.
  • Clarify your position to create a strong thesis: "Euthanasia is an immoral option even when patients are in constant, extreme pain."

Step 3 Make sure the focus of your thesis aligns with your intended focus for the paper.

  • For example, in the thesis, "It is immoral for patients to choose euthanasia even when suffering constant, extreme pain," the moral burden is on the patient's actions. The author of this thesis would need to make sure to focus on the patient in the essay and not to focus on the moral implications of the doctor's actions.
  • If the thesis you have written does not reflect what you want to argue in your paper, start over and draft a new thesis statement.

Conducting Research

Step 1 Select sources to research before writing your ethics paper.

  • Ask a librarian for help finding sources if you are not sure how to access your library’s databases.
  • A simple way to strengthen your argument through citations is by incorporating some relevant statistics. Simple statistics can have a major impact if presented after you've made a bold assertion. For instance, you may claim that the patient's family members would be unduly traumatized if the patient chose euthanasia, and then cite a university study that catalogued a majority of families reporting trauma or stress in this situation.
  • Another helpful citation is one in which the broad issue itself is discussed. For instance, you might cite a prominent ethicist's position on your issue to strengthen your position.

Step 2 Evaluate your sources.

  • The author and his or her credentials. Does the source provide the author’s first and last name and credentials (M.D., Ph.D, etc.)? Steer clear of sources without an author attached to them or that lack credentials when credentials seem crucial, such as in an article about a medical subject. [3] X Research source
  • Type of publication. Is the publication a book, journal, magazine, or website? Is the publisher an academic or educational institution? Does the publisher have a motive other than education? Who is the intended audience? Ask yourself these questions to determine if this source is reliable. For example, a university or government website might be reliable, but a site that sells items may be biased toward what they're selling.
  • Citations. How well has the author researched his or her topic? Check the author’s bibliography or works cited page. If the author has not provided any sources, then you may want to look for a different source. [4] X Research source
  • Bias. Has the author presented an objective, well-reasoned account of the topic? If the sources seems skewed towards one side of the argument, then it may not be a good choice. [5] X Research source
  • Publication date. Does this source present the most up to date information on the subject? If the sources is outdated, then try to find something more recent. [6] X Research source

Step 3 Read your research.

  • To check for comprehension after reading a source, try to summarize the source in your own words and generate a response to the author’s main argument. If you cannot do one or both of these things, then you may need to read the source again.
  • Creating notecards for your sources may also help you to organize your ideas. Write the citation for the source on the top of the notecard, then write a brief summary and response to the article in the lined area of the notecard. [7] X Research source

Step 4 Annotate...

  • Remember to indicate when you have quoted a source in your notes by putting it into quotation marks and including information about the source such as the author’s name, article or book title, and page number. [8] X Research source

Writing and Revising Your Ethics Paper

Step 1 Work from your outline.

  • To expand on your outline, write a couple of sentences describing and/or explaining each of the items in your outline. Include a relevant source for each item as well.

Step 2 Make sure that you include all of the key parts of an ethics paper.

  • Check your outline to see if you have covered each of these items in this order. If not, you will need to add a section and use your sources to help inform that section.

Step 3 Plan to write your ethics paper using several drafts.

  • In your first draft, focus on the quality of the argument, rather than the quality of the prose. If the argument is structured well and each conclusion is supported by your reasoning and by cited evidence, you will be able to focus on the writing itself on the second draft.
  • Unless major revisions are needed to your argument (for example, if you have decided to change your thesis statement), use the second draft to strengthen your writing. Focus on sentence lengths and structures, vocabulary, and other aspects of the prose itself.

Step 4 Give yourself a break before revising.

  • Try to allow yourself a few days or even a week to revise your paper before it is due. If you do not allow yourself enough time to revise, then you will be more prone to making simple mistakes and your grade may suffer as a result. [10] X Research source

Step 5 Consider your paper from multiple angles as your revise.

  • Does my paper fulfill the requirements of the assignment? How might it score according to the rubric provided by my instructor?
  • What is your main point? How might you clarify your main point?
  • Who is your audience? Have you considered their needs and expectations?
  • What is your purpose? Have you accomplished your purpose with this paper?
  • How effective is your evidence? How might your strengthen your evidence?
  • Does every part of your paper relate back to your thesis? How might you improve these connections?
  • Is anything confusing about your language or organization? How might your clarify your language or organization?
  • Have you made any errors with grammar, punctuation, or spelling? How can you correct these errors?
  • What might someone who disagrees with you say about your paper? How can you address these opposing arguments in your paper? [11] X Research source

Step 6 Read printed version of your final draft out loud.

  • As you read your paper out loud, highlight or circle any errors and revise as necessary before printing your final copy.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • If at all possible, have someone else read through your paper before submitting it. They can provide valuable feedback on style as well as catching grammatical errors. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

how to write a research paper on ethical dilemma

Things You'll Need

  • Word-processing software
  • Access to your library’s databases
  • Pencil and highlighter

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  • ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/688/1/
  • ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/03/
  • ↑ http://guides.jwcc.edu/content.php?pid=65900&sid=538553
  • ↑ http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/notes-from-research
  • ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/05/
  • ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/05/

About This Article

Emily Listmann, MA

To write an ethics paper, start by researching the issue you want to write about and evaluating your sources for potential bias and trustworthiness. Next, develop a thesis statement that takes a specific stand on the issue and create an outline that includes the key arguments. As you write, avoid using words like “could” or “might,” which will seem ambiguous to the reader. Once you’ve finished your paper, take a break for a few days so your mind is clear, then go back and revise what you wrote, focusing on the quality of your argument. For tips from our Education reviewer on how to annotate source material as you research, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Ethics and Moral Philosophy — Ethical Dilemma

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Ethical Dilemma Essays

Understanding how to write an ethical dilemma essay.

If you're tasked with writing an ethical dilemma essay, it's essential to start with a clear understanding of the topic. Here are some prompt samples to help you grasp the key aspects:

  • Prompt 1: Analyze a personal ethical dilemma you have faced and the decision-making process involved.
  • Prompt 2: Discuss an ethical dilemma in a real-world professional setting and propose a solution.
  • Prompt 3: Explore the ethical dilemmas surrounding advancements in technology and their impact on society.
  • Prompt 4: Investigate the moral conflicts arising from environmental conservation efforts and economic development.

Brainstorming and Choosing a Compelling Essay Topic

Now that you have some prompts to work with, it's time to brainstorm and select a captivating essay topic. Consider the following points:

  • Personal Experience: Reflect on personal ethical dilemmas you've encountered, as they can provide unique insights.
  • Relevance: Ensure your topic is relevant to the prompt and highlights the complexity of ethical decision-making.
  • Moral Ambiguity: Choose a topic that involves conflicting values or principles, making the dilemma truly ethical.
  • Contemporary Issues: Explore current events or situations where ethical choices play a crucial role.

Unique Ethical Dilemma Essay Topics

Here's a list of unique essay topics that go beyond the ordinary:

  • The Ethical Dilemma of Artificial Intelligence in Autonomous Vehicles
  • Ethical Decision-Making in Healthcare: The Case of Allocating Limited Resources During a Pandemic
  • The Moral Implications of Genetic Editing and Designer Babies
  • Corporate Responsibility: Balancing Profit and Ethical Practices in the Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Environmental Ethics: The Conflict Between Conservation and Indigenous Rights
  • The Ethical Challenges of Privacy and Surveillance in the Digital Age
  • The Use of Torture in Interrogation: An Examination of the Ticking Time Bomb Scenario
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Journalism: Reporting on Sensitive Subjects and the Public's Right to Know
  • Animal Testing in Scientific Research: Balancing Scientific Advancement and Animal Welfare
  • The Ethical Considerations of Assisted Suicide and End-of-Life Care
  • Police Use of Force: Balancing Public Safety and Individual Rights
  • Environmental Conservation vs. Economic Development: The Case of Deforestation
  • AI and Employment: The Ethical Dilemma of Automation and Job Displacement
  • The Ethics of Human Cloning and Its Potential Consequences
  • Refugee Crisis: Ethical Obligations and National Sovereignty
  • Ethical Challenges in Artificial Intelligence Research: Bias and Fairness
  • Food Industry Ethics: The Dilemma of Factory Farming and Sustainable Alternatives
  • Medical Trials in Developing Countries: Balancing Scientific Progress and Informed Consent
  • The Ethical Implications of Space Exploration and Colonization
  • Ethics of AI-Powered Deepfake Technology: Implications for Privacy and Misinformation

Paragraph and Phrase Inspiration

When crafting your essay, here are some sample paragraphs and phrases that can inspire your writing:

  • Introduction: "Ethical dilemmas are the moral crossroads where our values and principles clash with real-life decisions."
  • Main Body: "In the case of AI in autonomous vehicles, the ethical dilemma centers around the choice between prioritizing passenger safety or minimizing harm to pedestrians."
  • Counterargument: "While some argue that sacrificing individual privacy for national security is justified, it's crucial to consider the potential abuses and erosion of civil liberties."
  • Conclusion: "In conclusion, ethical dilemmas are not mere theoretical exercises; they shape our society and define our values. By examining these complex issues, we can strive for a more ethical and compassionate world."

Now that you have these tips and unique ideas in mind, go ahead and write an engaging ethical dilemma essay that leaves a lasting impact. Dive deep into the complexities of moral choices and spark thoughtful discussions.

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An ethical dilemma refers to a situation or scenario in which an individual or group is faced with a complex decision that involves conflicting moral principles or values. It is a challenging predicament where there is no clear-cut right or wrong choice, and the decision-maker must carefully navigate the moral and ethical implications of their actions.

Personal Ethical Dilemmas: These arise when an individual faces conflicting moral values or principles in their personal life. For example, choosing between honesty and protecting a loved one's reputation. Professional Ethical Dilemmas: These occur in the workplace and involve conflicts between ethical responsibilities and professional obligations. For instance, deciding whether to blow the whistle on unethical practices that may harm others but jeopardize one's career. Societal Ethical Dilemmas: These pertain to broader societal issues and involve conflicting values or interests. Examples include debates on topics like euthanasia, abortion, or genetic engineering, where different ethical perspectives clash. Organizational Ethical Dilemmas: These dilemmas arise within organizations when employees face conflicting values or ethical standards. For instance, deciding between loyalty to the company and reporting unethical behavior by a colleague. Technological Ethical Dilemmas: With advancements in technology, ethical dilemmas have emerged, such as privacy concerns, AI ethics, or the impact of automation on employment.

Conflict of Values: Ethical dilemmas arise when individuals encounter conflicting values or principles, where there is no clear right or wrong answer. These conflicting values create a sense of moral uncertainty. Difficult Decision-Making: Ethical dilemmas require individuals to make difficult choices between competing options, each with their own ethical implications. The decision-making process involves weighing the potential consequences and considering the moral implications of each choice. No Perfect Solution: Ethical dilemmas often lack a perfect or ideal solution that satisfies all ethical considerations. Regardless of the decision made, there may be negative consequences or ethical trade-offs involved. Personal and Moral Significance: Ethical dilemmas are deeply personal and have significant moral implications for the individuals involved. They often challenge personal integrity and moral values, making the decision emotionally and morally burdensome. Ethical Reasoning: Resolving ethical dilemmas requires careful ethical reasoning, analysis, and consideration of different ethical theories or frameworks. It involves examining the principles, values, and potential consequences involved in order to make an informed and morally justifiable decision. Contextual Nature: Ethical dilemmas are influenced by the specific context in which they occur. Factors such as cultural norms, social expectations, legal considerations, and professional codes of conduct can further complicate the decision-making process.

Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism asserts that the ethical choice is the one that maximizes overall happiness or utility for the greatest number of people. When faced with an ethical dilemma, individuals utilizing this theory would weigh the potential consequences of each option and choose the one that leads to the greatest net benefit. Deontological Ethics: Deontological ethics focuses on adhering to moral duties and principles regardless of the outcomes. This approach emphasizes the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions rather than the consequences. Individuals using deontological reasoning would consider universal moral principles, such as honesty or respect for autonomy, when making ethical decisions. Virtue Ethics: Virtue ethics centers on the development of moral character and emphasizes the importance of virtuous traits and intentions in ethical decision-making. When faced with an ethical dilemma, individuals using this theory would consider which action aligns with virtuous qualities, such as honesty, compassion, or justice.

Film: In the movie "12 Angry Men," a jury must decide the fate of a young man accused of murder. Jurors face an ethical dilemma as they confront their biases, prejudices, and the weight of the evidence, ultimately questioning their responsibility to deliver a just verdict. Literature: In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, the character Atticus Finch faces an ethical dilemma when defending an innocent black man accused of rape in a racially divided society. He confronts the moral choice between upholding justice and challenging deeply ingrained prejudices. Television: The series "The Good Place" revolves around ethical dilemmas and moral philosophy. Characters navigate complex ethical situations as they question the nature of good and bad, exploring themes such as utilitarianism, deontology, and moral relativism.

The topic of ethical dilemmas is crucial to explore and discuss in essays due to its profound impact on individuals, societies, and decision-making processes. Ethical dilemmas present complex situations where individuals face conflicting moral choices, and examining them allows for a deeper understanding of ethical principles, values, and the complexities of human behavior. Writing an essay on ethical dilemmas offers several benefits. Firstly, it encourages critical thinking and ethical reasoning by presenting real or hypothetical scenarios that challenge one's moral compass. It prompts individuals to analyze different perspectives, weigh the consequences of actions, and navigate moral gray areas. Secondly, exploring ethical dilemmas fosters ethical awareness and character development. By examining these dilemmas, individuals gain insights into their own values, biases, and decision-making processes. It promotes self-reflection and the cultivation of moral virtues such as empathy, integrity, and responsibility. Lastly, the topic of ethical dilemmas is relevant to various fields, including medicine, business, law, and technology. Essays on this subject provide an opportunity to explore how ethical frameworks and principles can guide professionals in making ethically sound decisions within their respective domains.

1. Beauchamp, T. L., & Bowie, N. E. (2020). Ethical theory and business (10th ed.). Pearson. 2. Bredeson, D. (2017). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. 3. Davis, M. (2016). Ethics and the university. Routledge. 4. Kidder, R. M. (2005). How good people make tough choices: Resolving the dilemmas of ethical living. Harper Perennial. 5. Lo, B., & Field, M. J. (Eds.). (2009). Conflict of interest in medical research, education, and practice. National Academies Press. 6. May, L., & Vandekerckhove, W. (Eds.). (2019). Routledge handbook of whistleblowing studies. Routledge. 7. Resnik, D. B. (2015). Playing politics with science: Balancing scientific independence and government oversight. Oxford University Press. 8. Singer, P. (2015). Ethics in the real world: 82 brief essays on things that matter. Princeton University Press. 9. Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2020). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. 10. Velasquez, M. (2018). Business ethics: Concepts and cases. Pearson.

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  • Ethical Dilemma Essay

TOOLS FOR WRITING – THE ETHICAL DILEMMA ESSAY

Table of contents, defining an ethical dilemma, ethical dilemma essay topics, how to write an ethical dilemma essay, ethical dilemma essay examples.

We all have a sense of ethics – moral principles that are a part of who we are . Some people are fully opposed to the death penalty; others are opposed to abortion; some support mercy killing, or the “right to die.” But what happens when our moral principles are put to the test through an ethical dilemma?

Basically, an ethical dilemma is facing a decision that, in making that decision, violates a moral principle in order to follow another one . Either decision will mean violating one of your moral principles. 

An ethical dilemma is facing a decision that, in making that decision, violates a moral principle in order to follow another one

A simple and often used example of a moral dilemma is this: You are on a ship that is sinking, and you must get into a lifeboat. That lifeboat can only hold 10 people without sinking, and there are 11 of you that need to get into it. Your moral principle is the preservation of life at all costs. How do you determine who does not get into that lifeboat? Or do you put all 11 in the lifeboat which will kill all of you? Any decision you make will compromise your principle of preserving life at all costs. 

If you are assigned an ethical dilemma essay, chances are you are given a question or a prompt for that essay, but if not you can always search for a write my paper help on our web-site

Sample Ethical Dilemma Essay

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Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma? Write a personal ethical dilemma essay about one such dilemma and how you handled it. It will be in the first person and will not have to follow the formal writing rules of academic writing .

Here are several potential topics of an ethical dilemma essay. You will note that most provide scenarios in which a person will have to make a decision.

Best ethical dilemma essay topics:

  • You are a nurse who is committed to providing the best possible care according to the protocols that have been established. You have a patient who is dying. He is in extreme pain. You are charged with administering pain medication on a set schedule, but the patient remains in extreme pain and is asking for more pain medication on a shorter schedule. Do you follow your moral principle of relieving pain or the protocols that have been established?
  • You are the spouse of a woman who has gone into labor. There are complications. The doctor has informed you that you must make a decision to save the life or your wife or your as yet unborn child. What is your decision-making process, and how does either decision compromise your moral principles of the sanctity of life? Do you abort the child and condemn it to death or do you preserve the life of your wife?
  • You have witnessed your best friend cheating on an exam. Do you let loyalty to your friend prevail and not report this, or do you abide by your sense of what is right and report the incident to your instructor?
  • You are an animal rights advocate, believing that all life is sacred. A biological research company is conducting research using animals as subjects. The goal of this research is to eliminate a horrible disease that is afflicting many people all over the world., but animals will suffer even die, in the process. Can you reconcile your advocacy of animal rights with the greater good of saving human lives?

While your essay will follow the standard format – introduction, body, and conclusion – it may be of different types. You may be writing a narrative of personal experience; you may be writing a more academic piece on an ethical dilemma in a conceptual way; you may be writing an argumentative piece on a specific ethical dilemma. And some of these types of essays may require some research.

Once you have completed your mind map, and consolidated the items into specific points that you want to make, you are ready to craft at least a rough outline of the body paragraphs you will compose.

Develop your thesis statement based upon your points. What is it that you are trying to “prove” to your audience? What do you want your reader to take away from this essay? Your answer to these questions will help you to form your thesis statement.

Write your body paragraphs first. These must be well-formed, with topic sentences and lots of detail to support them. 

One the body paragraphs are constructed, you are ready to craft your introduction – a part of your essay that will introduce the topic and provide your thesis for the essay. Work to create a “hook” for your reader – something that will pique their interest and motivate them to read on. This might be a startling statistic, a quote from a famous person, or a short anecdote to which they can relate. 

Carefully think about your conclusion. You will want to re-state your thesis , of course, but you also may need to encourage those who are dealing with moral dilemmas , as they struggle with their own.

There are plenty of ethical dilemma essay examples out there on the web. And they will give you great ideas about structure and format. But understand this: your essay must be uniquely yours. You must insert your own style, your own ideas, your own style into your essay, or it won’t be compelling or engaging to your reader. Take the ideas; take the points. But make the essay yours alone.

External links

How to Mind Map with Tony Buzan. (2015). [YouTube Video]. In  YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Y4pIsXTV0

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Common Ethical Issues In Research And Publication

Introduction.

Research is the pillar of knowledge, and it constitutes an integral part of progress. In the fast-expanding field of biomedical research, this has improved the quality and quantity of life. Historically, medical doctors have been in the privileged position to carry out research, especially in clinical research which involves people. They are able to control “life and death” of patients and have free access to their confidential information. Moreover, medical researchers have also enjoyed immunity from accountability due to high public regard for science and medicine. This has resulted in some researchers conducting unethical researches. For instance, in World War II, medical doctors had conducted unethical experiments on human in the name of science, resulting in harm and even death in some cases. 1 More recently, the involvement of pharmaceutical industry in clinical trials have raised issues about how to safeguard patient’s care and to ensure the published research findings are objective. 2

In the light of these ethical controversies, the Declaration of Helsinki was established to inform biomedical researchers the principles of clinical research. 3 This declaration highlighted a tripartite guidelines for good clinical practice which include respect for the dignity of the person; research should not override the health, well-being and care of subjects; principles of justice. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) was also founded in 1997 to address the breaches of research and publication ethics. 4

How do we apply all these principles in our daily conduct of research? This paper will discuss different ethical issues in research, including study design and ethical approval, data analysis, authorship, conflict of interest and redundant publication and plagiarism. I have also included two case scenarios in this paper to illustrate common ethical issues in research and publication.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH

1. study design and ethics approval.

According to COPE, “good research should be well adjusted, well-planned, appropriately designed, and ethically approved. To conduct research to a lower standard may constitute misconduct.” 3 This may appear to be a stringent criterion, but it highlights the basic requirement of a researcher is to conduct a research responsibly. To achieve this, a research protocol should be developed and adhered to. It must be carefully agreed to by all contributors and collaborators, and the precise roles of each team member should be spelled out early, including matters of authorship and publications. Research should seek to answer specific questions, rather than just collect data.

It is essential to obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board, or Ethics Committee, of the respective organisations for studies involving people, medical records, and anonymised human tissues. The research proposal should discuss potential ethical issues pertaining to the research. The researchers should pay special attention to vulnerable subjects to avoid breech of ethical codes (e.g. children, prisoners, pregnant women, mentally challenged, educationally and economically disadvantaged). Patient information sheet should be given to the subjects during recruitment, detailing the objectives, procedures, potential benefits and harms, as well as rights to refuse participation in the research. Consent should be explained and obtained from the subjects or guardians, and steps should be taken to ensure confidentiality of information provided by the subjects.

2. Data analysis

It is the responsibility of the researcher to analyse the data appropriately. Although inappropriate analysis does not necessarily amount to misconduct, intentional omission of result may cause misinterpretation and mislead the readers. Fabrication and falsification of data do constitute misconduct. For example, in a clinical trial, if a drug is found to be ineffective, this study should be reported. There is a tendency for the researchers to under-report negative research findings, 5 and this is partly contributed by pressure from the pharmaceutical industry which funds the clinical trial.

To ensure appropriate data analysis, all sources and methods used to obtain and analyse data should be fully disclosed. Failure to do so may lead the readers to misinterpret the results without considering possibility of the study being underpowered. The discussion section of a paper should mention any issues of bias, and explain how they have been dealt with in the design and interpretation of the study.

3. Authorship

There is no universally agreed definition of authorship. 6 It is generally agreed that an author should have made substantial contribution to the intellectual content, including conceptualising and designing the study; acquiring, analysing and interpreting the data. The author should also take responsibility to certify that the manuscript represents valid work and take public responsibility for the work. Finally, an author is usually involved in drafting or revising the manuscript, as well as approving the submitted manuscript. Data collection, editing of grammar and language, and other routine works by itself, do not deserve an authorship.

It is crucial to decide early on in the planning of a research who will be credited as authors, as contributors, and who will be acknowledged. It is also advisable to read carefully the “Advice to Authors” of the target journal which may serve as a guide to the issue of authorship.

4. Conflicts of interest

This happens when researchers have interests that are not fully apparent and that may influence their judgments on what is published. These conflicts include personal, commercial, political, academic or financial interest. Financial interests may include employment, research funding, stock or share ownership, payment for lecture or travel, consultancies and company support for staff. This issue is especially pertinent in biomedical research where a substantial number of clinical trials are funded by pharmaceutical company.

Such interests, where relevant, should be discussed in the early stage of research. The researchers need to take extra effort to ensure that their conflicts of interest do not influence the methodology and outcome of the research. It would be useful to consult an independent researcher, or Ethics Committee, on this issue if in doubt. When publishing, these conflicts of interest should be declared to editors, and readers will judge for themselves whether the research findings are trustworthy.

5. Redundant publication and plagiarism

Redundant publication occurs when two or more papers, without full cross reference, share the same hypothesis, data, discussion points, or conclusions. However, previous publication of an abstract during the proceedings of meetings does not preclude subsequent submission for publication, but full disclosure should be made at the time of submission. This is also known as self-plagiarism. In the increasing competitive environment where appointments, promotions and grant applications are strongly influenced by publication record, researchers are under intense pressure to publish, and a growing minority is seeking to bump up their CV through dishonest means. 7

On the other hand, plagiarism ranges from unreferenced use of others’ published and unpublished ideas, including research grant applications to submission under “new” authorship of a complete paper, sometimes in different language.

Therefore, it is important to disclose all sources of information, and if large amount of other people’s written or illustrative materials is to be used, permission must be sought.

It is the duty of the researcher to ensure that research is conducted in an ethical and responsible manner from planning to publication. Researchers and authors should familiarise themselves with these principles and follows them strictly. Any potential ethical issues in research and publication should be discussed openly within the research team. If in doubt, it is advisable to consult the respective institutional review board (IRB) for their expert opinions.

Case Scenario 1:

“A community survey on prevalence of domestic violence among secondary school students.”

  • To conduct this study, we need to seek approval from the Ministry of Education and permission from the school principal. However, consent should be taken from parents, who are the legal guardians of the students.
  • These ethical issues should be discussed at the proposal stage, and the participants/guardians should be informed about the decision to report to the police while taking the consent. This will potentially affect the response rate; but this is also the responsibility of the researcher to protect the participants and their families.
  • Yes, you can. However, you need to declare to the publisher that you have presented the paper in the conference. Redundant publication happens when an author has submitted two papers with similar objective, methodology and results, without cross referencing.
  • Yes, you can. However, you have to declare to the publisher that you have published an identical paper in a different language.

Case Scenario 2:

“Does HRT improve vasomotor symptoms among menopausal women in a Malaysian primary care clinic?”

  • HRT has been proven to be effective in relieving vasomotor symptoms in many well-designed studies. It is inappropriate for the researcher to repeat an established therapy which may potentially cause harm to them (e.g. deep vein thrombosis and breast cancer). However, it is appropriate to repeat research if the researchers feel that it may yield a different outcome in the local setting based on a firm theoretical basis.
  • Yes, even though it is part of our normal practice, all research involving human subjects, especially when it involves drugs, should be subjected to ethics approval. (E.g. “How did the researchers ensure that they explain to the patients fully about the potential harm of HRT?”)
  • As mentioned earlier, it is the duty of the researcher to ensure that the participant understands the benefits and risks of the treatment. The information should be conveyed in an objectively manner in the patient information sheet. Any queries from the patient should be answered truthfully, and it is the patient’s rights to refuse to participate in the research.
  • It is acceptable to quote sentences from a paper as long as they are duly referenced.

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Formidable Ethical Research Paper Topics For You!

ethical research paper topics

Students in every course highly seek ethical research paper topics. Why may you ask? It is because every class, or rather, every career requires a particular set of ethical standards.

However, coming across some easy ethical research paper topics may not be that easy after all. Lucky for you, this splendid and reputable post will solve that in a moment.

Before that, how do you write an ethical research paper?

How To Write an Ethical Research Paper (Simply)

The following quick guidelines will give you an overview of how such a paper resembles and what you should do.

  • Choose a captivating topic on ethics
  • Formulate an outline
  • Start writing with a hook introduction
  • Proceed on with a descriptive body
  • Finish with a momentous conclusion
  • Proofread the final copy

Nothing more or less of that, and you will have your perfect ethical research paper. In this post, we will show some great moral issue research paper topics that you can choose from later.

Stay with me now as we explore these great ideas together. Remember to remain hawk-eyed lest you miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Prerequisite Steps to Choosing a Topic for an Ethics Research Paper

Before arriving at your topic, the following ideas will be useful:

  • Have a look at the available materials
  • Do critical thinking on the possible ideas
  • Choose one out of the many

It is vital to ensure that your topic is original to avoid running into plagiarism claims. Furthermore, a brief problem will attract readers at first sight. The word length of the topic matters. Very great topics are a huge turn off to most readers; therefore, keep it short and to the point.

50 Ethical Issues Topics for a Research Paper

We shall tackle them according to subcategories so that you do not get confused along the way. Here we go then.

Ethical Hacking Research Paper Topics

  • Goals of security in ethical hacking
  • World’s most significant data breaches
  • Viruses and malware to watch out for in 2023
  • Assessing an organization’s vulnerability to cyber attacks
  • How much time should an organization perform a backup every day?
  • A case study of the qualitative risk assessment methods
  • Disadvantages of black-box testing
  • Does ethical hacking exist?
  • How did ethical hacking come to be?
  • Ethical hacking: Is it worth it?

Ethical Leadership Research Paper Topics

  • Ethical leadership: The barriers to successful leadership
  • The place of moral leadership in corrupt countries
  • Rethinking ethical leadership in the 21st century
  • Impact of Leadership courses on ethical leading
  • How a teacher’s ethical behavior impacts students
  • Is ethical leadership practiced in universities?
  • Ethical leadership and employee relationships
  • A case study of companies practicing ethical leadership and their performance
  • Leadership lessons from Nelson Mandela: A case study
  • A review of the relationship between moral and relational leadership

Ethical Egoism Research Paper Topics

  • A comparison between ethical Egoism versus virtue ethics
  • Ethical Egoism: A philosophical position
  • Crime and Ethical Egoism
  • Contrast between Ethical Egoism and Psychological Egoism
  • Impact of ethical Egoism in business
  • Thoughtful commentary on ethical Egoism
  • Ethics and morality compared
  • What is Ethical Egoism and What it Is Not
  • A study of ethical egoism theories
  • Contribution of a song to ethical egoism theory

Controversial Ethical Topics for Research Paper

  • Is plastic surgery ethical?
  • The impact of capital punishment on primary human rights
  • Why genetic cloning is not to be pursued in the future
  • Is abortion legal or illegal?
  • Is human trafficking justified in any law?
  • How safe is animal testing for humans?
  • Is genetic cloning interfering with Mother Nature?
  • Impact of ethnic adoption on a child’s development
  • Are pills doing us more harm than good?
  • Is a person justified to take his or her life?

Interesting Ethical Issues Topics for Research Paper

  • What is the ethical impact of organ donation?
  • The view of Catholicism on homosexuality
  • Should we help strangers anywhere whenever we meet them?
  • Should there be rich and poor people in the same country?
  • Should newspapers and televisions show pictures of caskets?
  • Should people leave their contact information at entrances?
  • Who is responsible for the moral ethics of children: Parents or teachers?
  • Should you report a close family friend involved in crime?
  • Are politicians free to make campaigns in church?
  • Is assisted suicide not the same as murder?

Ethics focuses on the shades of gray rather than black and white. Students should choose a research topic bearing in mind the implications carefully. The language used in an ethical research paper should also be prudent enough to prevent lawsuits.

Ethics Research Topics Are Here!

Ethical issues are all around us, and we cannot be ignorant of them. However, good ethical topics for a research paper require a keen eye on the student’s part. Haphazardness is not entertained in such an essay as it would amount to gross misconduct.

In case you are stranded with your ethical essay assignment, you could use a hand from our professional writing help services today.

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Your Complete Guide to Writing Perfect Ethical Papers

  • Academic Writing Guides

Your Complete Guide to Writing Perfect Ethical Papers

Every day, people make ethical decisions, and that is why your college journey will expose you to ethics papers . But how do you write a paper on ethics that garners good grades? If you want to improve your skills in this area of assignment, you landed on the right page.

This post shares insights on how to write an ethics paper to the highest levels. We will show you the essential elements of this paper and how to structure this assignment to give your essay a logical flow. Keep reading to master the art of writing an ethics paper that fetches you excellent grades. 

What is an Ethics Essay? 

Let’s define an ethics essay before proceeding to its deeper details. As its name suggests, an ethics paper is a piece of writing that debates two sides of a moral issue or dilemma. This paper focuses on matters of philosophical concern, like the principles of wrong and right. In this paper, you will elaborate on the standards that regulate human behavior.

Morality includes several practices and rules that people conventionally accept and follow. Your paper considers the moral behavior and principles of being a human in a social setting. For instance, many establishments have codes of conduct that regulate how people should behave. 

So, when composing this paper, you must explain the attitudes people hold towards such moral standards. Your work highlights the importance of a particular moral issue and explains whether society accepts or rejects it. 

As a rule, this paper should focus on debating a matter instead of simply overviewing it. Therefore, an ethics assignment shares many features with an argumentative essay because of its debating nature. 

How to Write an Ethics Essay Step by Step

So far, you have seen what this type of assignment comprises. But how do you write great papers on ethics ? This section sheds insights on how to start an ethics paper . Keep reading to sharpen your writing skills.

Choose a Relevant Topic 

First, you should spot a relevant topic that you can debate. This title should resonate well with your audience. When choosing a title, remember that this essay doesn’t essentially describe your viewpoint on a moral issue. Instead, it’s more about discussing arguments and counterarguments. So, your selected topic should have enough supporting details to make it more debatable. 

Outline Your Essay

After choosing your topic, you need to outline your paper to give it a logically flowing structure. This framework allows you to write everything in its right place. It also makes it easy for your readers to follow and understand your ideas. Generally, your structure will take this shape:

  • Prove why your topic is challenging and necessary for consideration.
  • Formulate a good thesis you will defend.
  • Formulate arguments to support your thesis statement.
  • Draft possible counterarguments.
  • Address all the counterarguments by elaborating your thesis statement.
  • Summarize your elaborated thesis statement and define its importance.

Please note that the above is only a guide. So, you might skip some sections if you deem it necessary. You may also choose not to write in chronological order and start from any section you want. 

Draft a Clear Introduction

You need to write a punchy and brief introduction. First, you should tell the reader what your topic seeks to address and the general opinion you’ll cover. Second, describe your paper’s structure because your readers should know the general points you will debate from the onset. Third, remember to include your main arguments but briefly. 

Write Body Paragraphs

So far, you have presented your intro, and your readers know where you are taking them. Now, you should approach your body paragraphs systematically. If you will give several arguments to support your thesis, don’t mix them in one paragraph. This way, your readers will be better placed to consider your arguments clearly. 

Compose a Conclusion

You will need to rephrase your thesis statement to underscore its importance. Also, rehash your main arguments without introducing new information. Your conclusion should point out why the ethical issue you’re discussing is important. Finish your paper by restating your viewpoint and why you think your position is accurate. 

Polish Your Paper

Lastly, go over your first draft to polish it. Your first stage will check it for grammar and styling correctness. You will also edit it to ensure your ideas are flowing logically for easy reader understanding. Lastly, proofread it to remove all spelling mistakes from the original draft and those you might have made during editing. 

Choosing an Ethics-Related Topic

Your essay will be as good or as bad as the quality of ethics paper ideas that you choose. If you manage to find captivating ethics paper titles , you will likely grab readers’ attention and interest from the onset. While they say that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the truth is that everyone does that all the time. Thus, getting it right from the start makes it easy to impress and attract readers even before reading your opening sentence. 

This section contains ideas on how to select relevant and punchy topics for an ethics paper . You will also benefit from sample topics we selected to jumpstart you. 

  • Your selected topic must be relevant to your target audience to attract them. Otherwise, people won’t waste their time reading irrelevant material.
  • Since you are handling moral issues that have interpersonal and generational effects, your topic must have a problem-solving approach to the dilemma at hand.
  • Your selected topic should be helpful and add value to readers’ lives.
  • The topic must be intriguing from the onset to captivate readers’ attention and interest. 
  • Your topic must be informative.
  • The topic should be easy to debate on both sides of the divide (arguments and counterarguments). 
  • Your selected topic must be easy enough to debate and have sufficient materials to support your debate.
  • Lastly, choose a topic that intrigues you so that you don’t write on a boring topic that kills your passion. 

Sample Topics

Here are sample topics to jumpstart your next ethics assignment.

  • Must desperate moments call for desperate measures?
  • Can people overcome envy?
  • Can humans master their ego?
  • Addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare.
  • The benefits of workplace ethics.
  • How does one’s family background shape their ethical principles?
  • Should we have universal moral codes?
  • Is morality necessary in education?
  • Why is lying wrong?
  • Why must abortion remain criminalized?

Ethics Paper Structure

Your paper on ethics needs a structure to give it a logical flow. Its structure ensures that readers can transition logically between your arguments and counterarguments. An ethics essay will have a simple structure that revolves around the following:

  • Topic’s significance : Discuss a moral issue that challenges society and explain why its better understanding is vital. 
  • A thesis statement : It covers your writing’s main focus and guides your readers throughout the entire assignment. Your thesis is your primary argument around which all the successive ideas will revolve. 
  • Evidence : You’ll need sufficient evidence to support the arguments for a moral dilemma. 
  • Counterarguments : Your counterarguments justify the reasoning behind the thesis statement. 
  • Rebuttal examples : These examples prove your position on an ethical issue. 

Ethics Paper Outline

Outlining your ethics papers is necessary to help you work with a firm framework. An outline for ethics paper allows you to know where to place which idea. It also ensures you don’t forget to include any materials your readers need to understand your paper. An outline also helps you to remain organized, boost clarity of thought, and remain focused throughout the writing process. 

Your outline must contain short and numbered sentences to cover the format. An average outline for this type of paper will take the following shape:

Introduction

  • Background information
  • Thesis statement

Point three

 Conclusion

  • Rephrase your thesis statement
  • Summarize your main ideas 
  • Final thoughts on the topic

Ethics Essay Examples

Nothing boosts your understanding better than a well-done example of an ethics paper . We’ve selected examples from various sections to help you write a better ethics essay .

Introduction 

Can you imagine living in a world where everyone lies, and integrity is fast becoming a foreign luxury that only a small minority can afford? Our generation is definitely in this moral dilemma, where the separating line between lies and truth is erased. This matter is compounded because information technology bombards our minds with excess information, making it hard for people to sift lies from truth.

Body Paragraph 

 Integrity and truth are essential pillars of a good society. In many fields of life, trust and honesty are essential for people to foster meaningful relationships and success. For instance, some doctors who are dishonest about the potential side effects of medications are not only acting unethically but also risking the health and well-being of their patients. Also, dishonest business people could achieve short-term profits by exploiting their customers but eventually lose trust, the very basis that made customers give them business.

 The moral ramifications of dishonesty are far-reaching because they undermine trust and integrity. This erodes societal foundations, damages personal and professional relationships, and produces a cannibal society.  

 The consequences of dishonesty and the benefits of integrity in our daily lives are obvious and undebatable. Integrity fosters solid relationships, candid communication, and improved decision-making. This paper explored how dishonesty negatively affects people and why everyone must value integrity. I hope this paper assists you in assessing your behavior and working towards being a more honest person.

Bottom Line

Writing ethics paper projects allows you to debate the two sides of pressing moral issues affecting society. We’ve tried to shed light on this type of assignment and illustrate our ideas with sample topics and content to inspire you. Use these prompts to make your ethics papers better every time.

  • Citation Guides
  • Essay Samples
  • Essay Topics
  • Essay Writing Guides
  • Research Paper Topics
  • Research Paper Writing Guides
  • Study Tips and Tricks

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How to Write an Ethics Paper or Essay With Tips and Examples

22 December 2023

last updated

An ethics essay is one type of essays that students write to present their ideas about what is good or bad, right or wrong, white or black, and approved or prohibited in terms of various theories, approaches, techniques, practices, actions, behaviors, responsibilities, morals, results, obligations, virtues, and others, developing essential writing skills. When writing an ethics paper, students should understand that such an essay differs from other assignments in that it focuses on elaborating on issues with ethical or moral implications in philosophy. Basically, this elaboration entails writers arguing for a stand on an ethical or moral issue. Moreover, when writing an ethics essay, students should follow a basic essay structure: introduction-body-conclusion. In each of these sections, learners should capture critical elements, such as a thesis statement in the introduction part, topic sentences in body paragraphs, and a thesis restatement in the conclusion part. Hence, students need to learn how to write a good ethics paper or essay to demonstrate their knowledge of philosophy by using ethical and moral sides of an issue.

General Aspects of Writing an Ethics Paper or Essay

Academic writing is a broad discipline that exposes students to critical skills, including interpretation, explanation, reflection, and analysis of many essay topics . Basically, essay writing is one of the academic exercises that enable students to build these skills. In particular, one of the essay types that students write is a research paper on ethics. When writing ethics essays in philosophy, students address issues related to morality, such as aspects of right and wrong or good and bad. Then, such concepts of ethics and morals underlie the importance of the right behaviors. In various settings, such as workplaces, humans establish codes of ethics and conduct to guide behavior. Therefore, when writing an ethics paper, a student’s focus is on how humans embrace or disregard good morals in society.

How to write an ethics paper or essay

1. Defining Features or Characteristics of an Ethics Paper or Essay

Like all other types of essays , an ethics paper has features that define it as an academic text. To some extent, these features influence an essay structure of a paper. For example, the first feature is proof of the importance of a topic. In this case, students show this importance by constructing essay topics as challenging issues facing society, hence talking about it. Then, the second characteristic is a thesis statement that learners in philosophy formulate to shed light on a topic. Further on, the third feature is arguments that support a thesis, and the fourth characteristic is possible counterarguments. Moreover, the fifth feature is a rebuttal, where writers insist on the strengths of their arguments while acknowledging the counterarguments. In turn, the sixth characteristic is a sum-up of an ethics paper. Here, authors emphasize a thesis statement by justifying the arguments in its favor that they provide in a written document.

2. How Does an Ethics Paper Differ From Other Essays

There are many types of essays that students write under a discipline of philosophy. Basically, each essay type has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other papers. For an ethics essay, these characteristics include addressing an ethical issue, using an ethical lens to make arguments regarding a controversial matter, or explaining an ethical dilemma. Ideally, this type of paper focuses on elaborating on ethics and morality. In contrast, a narrative essay focuses on telling the writer’s story, while an informative essay focuses on educating the audience concerning a topic. Moreover, while some papers, like narrative or college application essays, utilize the first-person language, an ethics essay takes a formal approach to a third-person language.

3. How to Know if Students Need to Write an Ethics Paper or Essay

Generally, before students write some types of papers , they first consider the department or tutor’s requirements. Basically, these requirements can provide direct instructions, including a research topic, an essay outline , or a grading rubric. In this case, the latter helps students to understand the basic expectations of educational departments or tutors. Therefore, when students do not get direct instructions about their ethics topics, they can always know what type of essay they need to write by reading grading essay rubric requirements. For ethics papers, such prompts require students to take a stand on an issue of profound ethical or moral implications, such as fraud. In turn, key elements that tell students that they need to write an ethics paper or essay include providing an ethical argument, elaborating on an ethical dilemma, or expounding on ethical and legal implications.

4. How Do Students Know if They Need to Write an Ethics Paper by Looking at an Essay Topic

Students consider the instructions given by departments or tutors when writing essays. Basically, these instructions provide directions on essay topics that students should address when writing their papers. When writing an ethics paper, students can know that they need to write this type of essay by looking at the department or tutor’s topic. Moreover, this ethics topic may require learners to provide ethical arguments concerning a matter, elaborate on an ethical dilemma, or state whether an issue is ethical or legal. Hence, a central message of a topic should require students to address an issue via an ethical or moral lens.

5. The Meaning of an Ethical Argument, Ethical Dilemma, and Ethical v. Legal Implications

Key elements that define an ethics paper include ethical arguments, ethical dilemmas, and ethical and legal implications. For example, the term “ethical arguments” refers to a concept of taking a stand on an issue with ethical and moral implications and defending it. In this case, writers make ethical arguments to support their perspectives on an issue raising ethical or moral questions, such as fraud. Then, the term “ethical dilemma” refers to a situation that individuals find themselves whenever they face an issue raising ethical or moral questions, such as bribery. Also, authors are torn between two options, with one option having severe ethical or moral implications. In turn, the term “ethical versus legal implications” refers to a situation where a writer has to decide whether an issue, such as bribery, needs ethical or legal redress.

20 Examples of Ethics Topics for Writing Essays and Research Papers

  • Soaps and Deodorants as Potential Causes of Breast Cancer.
  • The Ethics and Legality of Child Adoption.
  • The Pros and Cons of Taking Vitamin Supplements.
  • Plastic Surgery and the Pursuit of Beauty.
  • Human Cloning: Is it Ethical?
  • Death Penalty: Key Pros and Cons.
  • Abortion as an Intervention Against Teen Pregnancy.
  • Is Voting a Moral or Legal Duty.
  • Does Driving an Electric Car Indicate Responsible Citizenship?
  • Social Media Use and Privacy.
  • Should Schools Enact Anti-Bullying Policies?
  • Does Social Media Use Enhance or Undermine Socialization?
  • Combating Music Piracy: Should Governments Get Involved?
  • Organic Foods versus Processed Foods: Which is Healthier?
  • Global Warming and the Extinction of Animal and Plant Species
  • Should Politics and Church Separate?
  • Is It Justified to Bribe to Avoid a Legal Penalty?
  • Should Nurses Be Allowed to Assist Terminally Ill Patients to End Their Lives?
  • Corporate Fraud: Who Should Take Responsibility?
  • Is Corporate Social Responsibility a Humanitarian or Commercial Concept?

Writing Outline and Structure of an Ethics Paper or Essay

Like any other essay, an ethics paper follows a structure that underscores its outline. Basically, this structure comprises three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. When writing these sections, students must ensure they address all the essential defining features stated previously in their ethics essays or papers. When doing so, writers should confirm that the introduction and conclusion sections take 10 percent of the total word count of an ethics paper or essay, while the body, which is the main text, should be 80 percent. Hence, an essay outline of an ethics paper should look as below:

I. Introduction

A. Hook sentence. B. Background information on an ethical dilemma. C. Writer’s claim – a thesis statement.

II. Body Paragraphs

A. Argument

  • state a position of an argument;
  • support this position with evidence;
  • explain how this evidence is right toward this argument and evidence;
  • conclude why this argument is valid.

B. Counterargument

  • provide a counterargument to a position in the first body paragraph;
  • include evidence that supports this counterargument, being opposite to an argument in the previous section;
  • explain how this counterargument and evidence in this paragraph are correct by using an opposite perspective;
  • finish why this counterargument is valid for this case.

C. Rebuttal

  • define the weaknesses of a counterargument;
  • cover credible evidence that supports such weaknesses;
  • write how these weaknesses make a counterargument irrelevant;
  • end with a statement that explains why a counterargument is not valid compared to an argument.

III. Conclusion

A. Restate a thesis. B. Sum up on the argument, counterargument, and rebuttal. C. State a final claim.

Explaining Each Section for Writing an Ethics Paper or Essay

When writing the introduction section, authors of an ethics paper should be brief and concise. Here, students should inform the audience about the purpose of writing by accurately expounding on an ethical issue that they intend to address. In essence, this aspect means highlighting their stand concerning an issue. Moreover, formulating a thesis statement helps to accomplish this goal. In this case, writers frame their minds and structure their ethics papers via the use of arguments that defend their stand on an issue of profound ethical or moral implications. Notably, when writing the introduction part, which signals the start of an ethical paper or essay, learners should begin with a hook to grab the readers’ attention. In turn, this sentence can be a popular misconception or a question that writers intend to answer when writing an ethics paper or essay.

II. Body Section

When writing the body of an ethics paper or essay, students should use a thesis statement as a reference point. In other words, they should use a thesis statement to come up with several ideas or arguments in defense of their stand on the ethical or moral issue identified in the introduction part. Basically, rules of academic writing dictate that students should begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence, whose purpose is to introduce a claim or idea that they intend to elaborate on in the section. Then, it is advisable that, when writing the body section, learners should use different paragraphs to separate arguments logically. Also, students should follow a sandwich rule when writing every body paragraph of an ethics paper or essay. In turn, such a paragraph structure means providing a claim, supporting it with evidence, explaining its relevance to the paper’s thesis, and ending with a transition sentence to be connected with the next paragraph logically.

The conclusion part is the last section of an ethics paper. In particular, an ethics essay should capture several themes in this section. Firstly, writers should restate a thesis statement. Secondly, they should summarize the main points made in body paragraphs. Also, this aspect means summarizing the writer’s arguments for their stands towards an issue with ethical or moral implications. In turn, authors should reiterate the paper’s topic and state why it was essential to address an ethical or moral issue. Besides, students need to avoid providing new information in this section.

Example of an Ethics Paper

Topic – Euthanasia: Is It Ethical?

I. Introduction Sample of an Ethics Paper

Terminal illness is a condition of profound pain and suffering for those affected, including the patients and their families. Today, some scientists support euthanasia, the aspect of assisting terminally ill patients in ending their lives. While health professionals should do everything to help their patients to avoid suffering, assisting them in ending their lives is unethical and immoral.

II. Examples of Body Paragraphs in an Ethics Paper

Life is a sacred thing, and no human being has any justification for ending it, regardless of whose it is. For example, the premise of a debate about euthanasia, which refers to assisted suicide, is the prevalence of terminal illnesses that subject individuals to a life of pain, suffering, and dependence. Without any hope of recovery, some individuals have opted to end their lives with the help of their loved ones or health professionals. While there is every reason to empathize with these individuals’ fate, there is no basis for supporting their desire to end their lives. In turn, the sanctity of life does not allow human beings to end life, no matter the circumstances.

If there seems to be no hope of recovery, ending life is counterproductive in an age of significant scientific and technological advancements. Basically, scientists are working round the clock to find cures for incurable diseases that have proven to be a threat to humanity. For example, today, smallpox is no longer a threat because a cure is found (Persson, 2010). Therefore, the fact that there may be no cure for a disease today does not mean that there will not be a cure tomorrow. Naturally, human beings rely on hope to overcome moments of darkness, such as a terminal illness diagnosis. Nonetheless, it is the effort of the scientific community that has always brought hope to humanity. In this light, there is no ethical or moral justification for euthanasia.

Euthanasia is not only a solution to terminal illness but also a sign of hopelessness and despair. When patients take the root of assisted suicide, it means that they give up on looking for alternatives in dealing with a problem. In this case, the fact that a terminal illness does not have a cure does not imply that it cannot be managed. Moreover, individuals who love a terminally ill person, such as family members and friends, hope to spend more time with them before an inevitable time happens. As such, terminally ill patients should use their families and health professionals to live longer. In essence, this aspect reflects true humanity – standing firm and determining amid of insurmountable odds. On that truth alone, euthanasia is an idea that deserves no thought or attention.

III. Conclusion Sample of an Ethics Paper

There is nothing more devastating than a terminal illness diagnosis. Basically, such news punctures the hope of many individuals, families, and communities. Nonetheless, patients should not lose hope and despair to the point of wanting to end their lives because of being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Because life is sacred and there is always a higher probability of medical breakthroughs in an age of scientific and technological advancement, euthanasia is an unethical and immoral solution to a terminal illness.

Persson, S. (2010). Smallpox, syphilis, and salvation: Medical breakthroughs that changed the world . East Gosford, New South Wales: Exisle Publishing.

Summing Up How to Write a Good Ethics Paper or Essay

Essay writing is an essential academic exercise that enables students to develop writing skills. When writing an ethics paper or essay, students focus on taking a stand on an issue with ethical or moral implications. In this case, writers create a thesis statement that expresses their perspective on a moral issue, which can be an ethical dilemma. In the main text, authors provide arguments that defend their thesis statements. Hence, when writing an ethics paper or essay, students should master the following tips:

  • develop the introduction-body-conclusion outline;
  • introduce a topic briefly and concisely in the introduction section;
  • develop a thesis statement;
  • Use separate body paragraphs to introduce and defend arguments;
  • Ensure to provide a counterargument and a rebuttal;
  • Restate a thesis statement in the conclusion section, including a summary of the main points (arguments that defend the paper’s thesis).

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177 Interesting Ethics Paper Topics For Your Thesis

ethics paper topics

Ethics is a branch of study in philosophy that studies the concept of morality—what is good or bad, what is acceptable or unacceptable. It’s a philosophical theory that looks into moral rules and codes, principles, value systems, and other related concepts.

In academia, an ethical theory is used as one of the analytical tools in drawing analysis on several socio-cultural topics. Ethics can be applied to any particular subject matter in human society. And, on this, so many compelling, controversial or interesting ethical topics for academic essays and research papers have continued to spring up.

For students writing either an essay or a research paper on ethics, there are some relevant things to note about a good essay/research topic and writing a dissertation. They include:

Brainstorm on different topics Always go for a topic you are familiar with Choose a topic that has enough “flesh”. This is important as interesting topics will help you develop your essay/research Define your subject of interest. It makes the writing easier Properly researching for topics that serve contemporary social relevance Outlining is important for your research topic

What following some of these processes does for your essay/research/thesis is that it enriches your work and affords you the ability to communicate ideas clearly to readers. Here are some topics in ethics you can use for your essay/research.

Interesting Top Level Ethics Paper Topics for All Students

Writing a paper on ethics makes for an interesting writing experience because they usually require that the writer make a case for a particular subject based on whether the subject is right or wrong. There are so many ethical topics for papers. As a student, there are several ethical questions to debate, and you can choose to model your topic using some of these samples:

  • Discuss what should be done concerning the rise in the ban on safe abortion
  • Is the right to safe abortion practice unethical?
  • Should abortion practice be promoted or championed for women in society?
  • Are humans truly the root source for the issues of climate change and global warming the world is currently experiencing?
  • Is it right to discriminate against the sexes?
  • Is there a defining difference between sexes and gender?
  • Is the practice of gender-based violence ethical?
  • Should safe sexual practices be promoted?
  • Sex: A Study of the growing practice of sexual relationships outside marriage
  • Domestic Violence and how it can be combated
  • Marijuana: The distinction to its health roles and health challenges it poses on individuals
  • Is it unethical to promote capitalism and capitalist concepts?
  • A Study of Racism and measures to ensure its decline
  • Is it ethical to be a millionaire while there are so many less privileged people?
  • A study of the ethical challenges that come with being in the academia
  • Is war an ethical practice?
  • Why LGBTQ+ people should not be discriminated against
  • What are the ways workplace ethics can address issues of homophobia and internalized sexism?
  • Is sexism in the workplace an ethical practice?
  • The issue of microaggression and how it can be addressed
  • A study of why workplaces need ethical conduct that monitors issues of workplace harassment
  • Should salaries be uneven?
  • How unethical are uneven salary payment structures?
  • Should start-up tech companies hire more men for starters?
  • How people can prioritize online privacy
  • Is bridging online privacy unethical?
  • Is the right to privacy unethical?

Engaging Ethical Dilemma Topics

As ethics deals with the debate on morals, one of the ways topics on ethics manifests is in the subject of dilemma. Topics like this focus on trying to find a suitable justification for one idea over another. There are several ethics topics to write about on this subject. Some of them include:

  • Should students be allowed to bring their phones to school?
  • Should parents police every social activity of their children?
  • Should teachers use the cane on students as a disciplinary measure?
  • Is flogging a good correctional practice?
  • Should you leave your partner if they are of opposing political views?
  • Should opposing religious beliefs be a deal-breaker in relationships?
  • Should capitalism be abolished completely?
  • Should a teacher maintain some level of friendship with their students?
  • Is there any lingering importance of capitalism to society?
  • Is revenge a viable option in a relationship if your partner cheats on you?
  • Is sharing your experiences online the same as showing off a lifestyle?
  • Should people from different religious beliefs and backgrounds partner?
  • Is checking the DNA of your children important or necessary?
  • Should parents enforce their children on behaviors to take up?
  • Can discipline properly correct the attitudes of a child?
  • Should eating junk foods be avoided completely?
  • Should Halloween Trick or Treat and Costume be prioritized over Thanksgiving Dinners?
  • Should children hold different religious beliefs from their parents while still young?
  • Does strict parenting serve as the best way to raise a child?
  • Is it important to reveal a secret to a friend or to keep one’s peace?
  • Should cooking at home be prioritized over eating out?
  • Is socialism a more suitable social practice than capitalism?
  • Is accepting financial assistance from your parents acceptable after a certain age?
  • Should school authorities seize phones brought to school?
  • Is sending a child to a mixed school better than same-sex schools?
  • Can afforestation alone save the world from global warming and the general climate change condition?
  • Does being educated equate with being intelligent?

Ethical Issues to Write about in Your College Essay

One important thing to note about ethical topics is that they touch across so many different subjects. As a college student preparing to write an essay on ethics, rest assured as there are so many ethics ideas to write about. Here are some ethical topics to write about:

  • Does Hiring female employees cover a company’s sexist motives?
  • Should Actors be paid more than teachers?
  • Taking medical decisions for a patient without their consent
  • How ethical is the interference of the judiciary by the legislative arm of government?
  • Is it ethical to fire someone due to their dress code?
  • Is it unethical to wear colored hair to work?
  • Is censorship ethical?
  • Where does media censorship draw the line?
  • Is it ethical for religious figureheads to meddle in state politics?
  • Should gender be the reason why a person is restricted access to certain social privileges?
  • Should sexuality be a discriminatory factor in society?
  • Should companies and places of work provide counseling and therapy services for their employees?
  • Can Children wear makeup on special occasions?
  • Is it unethical to make medical decisions for a patient without any recognizable relatives?
  • Does dress code need to affect how you are addressed?
  • Should implementing ethics in sports be recommended?
  • Is police brutality an ethical practice?
  • The impacts of the excessive consumption of media content?
  • Is the excessive use of social media healthy?
  • How can companies ensure paid maternal and paternal leave?
  • How can the inclusion of non-binary people in company policies promote growth?
  • Is exclusion on the grounds of sexuality ethical?
  • Is exclusion due to political beliefs unethical?
  • How to promote ethical work culture?
  • How can a company ensure that ethical practices are promoted in their companies?

Ethical Argument Topics to Write About

The best part about writing an ethical essay is that it is about anything that is of interest. An important aspect of the ethical argument topic is that it is supported with evidence. There are so many ethical topics to write about that fall within this category, and they include:

  • Is the having of ethical codes and conducts important in an organization?
  • Should people only implement progressive ideas to meet societal needs?
  • Why LGBTQ+ should not be discriminated against
  • Is it unethical to come to work late?
  • Is government-sanctioned execution an ethical practice?
  • Is the American incarceration system an effective corrective system?
  • Is corrective rape an ethical practice?
  • Should the issue of internalized homophobia be addressed?
  • Internalized patriarchy and internalized homophobia, which one births one
  • Should smoking weed be made legal?
  • Why do the less privileged need free healthcare services
  • A study of the effects of colonialism and internalized slavery
  • Must aspiring journalists only focus on journalism courses?
  • Addressing what it means to be of ethical behavior
  • Should students be given a take-home assignment?
  • Is there any academic relevance to assignments?
  • Is access to free healthcare important?
  • Does following the ethics code have abt social relevance?
  • What role should developed countries play for developing countries?
  • Is analysis writing an important aspect of literature?
  • What role does ethics play in schools
  • Should the address of global warming be continuous?
  • Is there room for possible positive developments in global warming?
  • Is the practice of ethics the same as moral teaching
  • Should schools create sex education into their education curriculum

Comprehensive Ethics Debate Topics for Anyone

Just like the argumentative ethics topic, a debate topic on ethics centers majorly on choosing a part to argue for or against. This argument also is wrapped with evidence to support it. Your ethic topics can be on any subject. You can choose moral topics or any other topic with relevance. Here are some lists of ethical debate topics anyone can write on:

  • Should the use of Contraceptives be promoted?
  • Does legalizing weed make it any healthier?
  • Should school children bring phones into school settings?
  • The health impact of excessive engagement on social media
  • Social relevance and importance of having ethical conducts
  • Do companies with ethical conduct grow ahead
  • Does ethics make a workplace safer?
  • Are there importance on why sex education should be added to student’s
  • Why safe abortion rights should be legalized
  • Why the discrimination based on sexuality is harmful
  • Why the practice of hedonism is important
  • Sexual pleasure: Is it morally good?
  • Is happiness dependent on an external factor?
  • Why Institutionalized racism is the root cause of racism and racist beliefs
  • Should the use of drugs be legalized?
  • Is there any progressive importance to having a conservative view on things?
  • Should social media apps allow explicit sexual content?
  • Should social app builders have access to individual account
  • Can homeschool match formal school training?
  • Should the government ensure censorship measures?
  • Is voting during elections the only form of patriotism?
  • Is voting a patriotic display
  • Are families allowed to have contradicting religious beliefs?
  • Should state governments have any interference with the federal government?
  • Should teenagers have access to contraceptives?

Good Ethical Research Papers for your Thesis or Dissertation

Writing either a thesis or a dissertation is a necessary part of academia. As a university student, you can’t graduate from only writing essays withiut writing your graduating thesis. There are so many areas your research paper about ethics can focus on. Here is a list of ethical topics:

  • The contemporary relevance of applied ethics
  • The psychological impacts of the proliferation of technology
  • A Case Study of the legality of weed
  • A multi-dimensional approach to the subject of marriage
  • An ethical approach to the killing of animals
  • A case study of the critical ethical debates on the use of contraception
  • An analytical study of the relevance of ethical conduct in the workplace
  • An investigation into the social relevance and importance of the beauty pageantry culture
  • A critical study of normative ethics
  • The role of applied ethics in the building of a healthy work culture
  • An overview of the barriers associated with good leadership practice
  • A Study of the importance of ethical practice in the healthcare system
  • The study of ethics in business social responsibility
  • An Overview on how Ethics promotes a saner working culture
  • A look into how ethics promotes healthy social relationships
  • The ethical relevance for Doctor and Patient Confidentiality
  • Malpractice and Negligence an ethically challenging issue within the healthcare system
  • The social and health relevance to access to free healthcare insurance
  • A Study of the social relevance of ethics
  • Violence: violence against animals is still abuse
  • A look into strategic approaches to managing cyber crimes
  • Ethic reasons for the separation of the church from politics
  • Ethical Conduct: How Organizations with practicable ethics produces a toxic work environment
  • A look into how Social media negatively impacts the IQ of a student
  • The role of self-awareness and professional responsibility impacts social ethics in the workplace

Good Ethical Questions for Discussion

Primarily, ethics asks and answers the question of wrong or good. There are so many social issues that will make for good ethical questions for discussion. Here is a list of ethical questions for students to form insights from:

  • How does ethics help to promote healthy workplace awareness?
  • Does the practice of abortion negate morality?
  • Is it right for a rape victim to be denied access to safe and free abortion?
  • How do homophobia, racism, misogyny, and ableist practices hinder social growth?
  • Should there be free access to condoms and contraceptive pills?
  • Is free access to contraceptives better than the provision of menstrual materials
  • How can racism be dismantled in an organization without consideration to institutionalized racism?
  • How does the continuous promotion of capitalist concepts hinder societal progress?
  • Does capitalism truly hinder social growth?
  • Why should there be free access to contraceptive materials especially for women?
  • What are the possible feasible solutions to the issue of climate change?
  • Is it unethical not to share the wealth?
  • Is engaging in warfare the right way to bring solutions?
  • Does the use of makeup contradict the concept of beauty?
  • Why are LGBTQ+ rights human rights?
  • Is the legalization of cannabis ethical?
  • Does the way you dress need to be the reason you are addressed a certain way?
  • Are there moral problems that come with job automation?
  • What can be done to combat the use of harmful substances
  • Why should companies stop discriminating based on sex?
  • What is the social relevance of providing workplace access?
  • Why should parents and teachers stop flogging students?
  • What is the distinction between discipline and strictness?
  • Should religious beliefs be a dealbreaker in any relationship?

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Ethical Dilemmas Research Paper

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Sample Ethical Dilemmas Research Paper. Browse other research paper examples and check the list of research paper topics for more inspiration. iResearchNet offers academic assignment help for students all over the world: writing from scratch, editing, proofreading, problem solving, from essays to dissertations, from humanities to STEM. We offer full confidentiality, safe payment, originality, and money-back guarantee. Secure your academic success with our risk-free services.

1. Ethical Dilemmas In Moral Theory

1.1 causes and kinds of dilemmas.

Dilemmas appear in situations where (a) moral principles seem difficult to apply to the case at hand, or (b) where various moral principles clash and/or do not guide action.

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As to the first case, ethical dilemmas arise due to an epistemic uncertainty like risk assessment or evaluation of the ethical implications of scientific and technological change and/or due to conflicting obligations in light of the new technological advances that support different courses of action. Two kinds of ethical dilemmas can be distinguished: an agent faces conflicting obligations which he cannot both fulfill, and neither obligation is overridden: he ought to do A and he ought to do B, but cannot do both A and B. For example, a father is unable to rescue both of his children from a burning house. He has an obligation to rescue his first child, and he has an obligation to rescue his second child, but neither obligation outweighs the other. Or, moral reasons speak equally for and against an option with respect to different features of that option: and agent ought to do C and ought not to do C. A doctor, for instance, who has an obligation to provide medical assistance, faces such a dilemma if his help implies a questionable prolongation of a patient’s life that might be difficult to assess. No matter how the person in moral dilemmas acts there will be moral losses.

In the second case, an ethical dilemma is due to disagreement about which moral convictions and principles like ‘maximize the expected utility’ or ‘treat a human being as an end in itself’ apply to the case. Thus, there is a deeper difficulty about the application of moral principles to practice, if there is disagreement about the principles or if there are several principles that are applicable to the respective case and yield different solutions. There is no standard way of weighing the contending principles in order to decide which predominate in specific cases. Such dilemmas constantly arise in medical practice where it is difficult to assess whether life-saving treatment regards the patient as an end in itself, and should therefore be provided, or whether it disregards patient interests and values.

1.2 Epistemic Dilemmas

Ethical theorists have concentrated on the question about which there is widespread disagreement whether ethical dilemmas can be solved. Some have tried to tackle the problem of moral principles that, if jointly applied, lead to inconsistencies. Two principles are inconsistent, if they cannot be both fulfilled.

Two moral principles in particular are alleged as being unable to guide action in light of seemingly conflicting obligations. (a) The so-called ‘agglomeration principle’ entails that an agent S is obligated to do A, and is obligated to do B, and therefore is obligated to do both A and B: [(OA & OB) →O (A & B)]. (b) The principle of deontic logic ‘ought implies can’ infers from the premise that an agent S is obligated to do both A and B that the agent can do both A and B: [(O (A & B)→c (A & B)].

These two principles contradict the standard definition of ethical dilemmas according to which an agent is obligated to do A, and is obligated to do B, but cannot do both A and B. Some theorists have tried to differentiate between prima facie obligations and all things considered obligations in order to show that not every obligation requires to be acted upon. A so-called deliberative ought (B. Williams in Gowans 1987) is supposed to help us decide which obligation overrides a seemingly conflicting obligation by referring to stronger reasons (P. Foot in Mason 1996). Dilemmas are thus described to be merely ‘epistemic.’ Moral principles are shown to be consistent by distinguishing between preliminary and final (R. M. Hare in Gowans 1987) or general and specific (A. Donagan in Gowans 1987) principles. According to R. M. Hare (in Gowans 1987), for example, conflicting prima facie duties are selected on a ‘critical level’ with the help of actutilitarian considerations. A generally accepted rule might thus be overridden in light of the case at hand. A. Donagan (in Gowans 1987) proposed to specify principles with additional premises in order to provide exceptions to such principles if they seem to be justified. A promise, for example, can be broken if a more urgent and morally defensible action calls for it.

1.3 Are Dilemmas Genuine?

Even though many ethical dilemmas might be solved in such a way, there still remain cases in which no ‘deliberative ought’ can show which prima facie obligation outweighs the other. Furthermore, it can be maintained that even obligations that are supported by less weighty reasons might still remain in force and do not cease to obligate. There are three arguments that try to support the hypothesis that ethical dilemmas can be insoluble. (a) So-called residual emotions like regret that agents express after a choice between conflicting obligations are purported to show that the obligation not acted upon remains in force like an unfulfilled desire (B. Williams in Gowans 1987). (b) Conflicting oughts are considered to stem from plural sources of value, e.g., obligations, rights, utility, perfectionist ends, and commitments. Hence, if values (and also moral principles) are plural, dilemmas seem to be unavoidable (T. Nagel in Gowans 1987). (c) Feelings of guilt that agents display after a difficult choice are taken to motivate the avoidance of conflicts in the future. They show that dilemmas are real (R. B. Marcus in Gowans 1987; in Mason 1996). As to the solution of dilemmas the considerations of ethical theorists are also constantly challenged in light of the practical problems that technological research, for example, poses.

2. Ethical Dilemmas In Scientific Research

2.1 risk and technology assessment, professional responsibility, and moral status.

Ethical dilemmas arise in many areas of research, particularly where the development and use of new technologies challenges the application of moral concepts, or leads to conflict between moral principles and demand for their extension or further specification. Thus, for two conflicting courses of action different moral arguments, rules or principles can be equally compelling, or their moral costs are difficult to assess. This pertains to problems of risk and technology assessment, the scope of professional responsibility, and to questions of autonomy and the moral status of those affected by these technologies. Ethical dilemmas typically arise in the controversies surrounding life-saving technologies at the beginning and end of life, life-enhancing technologies to improve the quality of life, the technologies of reproduction, and genetic engineering.

Technological and risk assessment can be dilemmatic in the following way: in the early stage of a technological development, when it is still relatively easy to control its direction, there is an inevitable lack of knowledge to exercise reasonable control; by the time more experience and better understanding of the risks involved is gained, the technology has often developed so much social momentum that it is almost impossible to control it (Collingridge 1980).

The responsibility of scientists can be said to consist of the pursuit of truth in their own area of competence, for wielding social power appropriately, and for making their results generally accessible. Professional responsibilities can lead to moral conflict if, for example, research results and/or the effects of technologies have a potential to endanger others. For example, scientists can have a duty to pursue truth, and they can equally have a duty to avoid harm, and they might not be able to fulfill both. The justification of scientific investigation can only be provided from within scientific research, since expertise is needed to evaluate it. This can undermine social control of research (Erwin et al. 1994).

The application of moral principles to practice also sheds light on the question who or what has autonomous moral status with regard to fetuses, those in permanently vegetative states, members of future generations, animals, and inanimate nature. For example, is research on human embryos permitted in order to foster medical therapy and relieve suffering or do we also have obligations to embryos? Particular moral uncertainty is thus engendered by contexts that demand divided allegiances.

2.2 Ethical Dilemmas In Biotechnology

The far-reaching potential advances in gene therapy and genetic engineering for humans (The Human Genome Project), and the implications for humans of cloning, have given rise to ethical dilemmas scientists have to face. The following examples can illustrate how progress in genetic engineering generates dilemmas between conflicting obligations and/or conflicts due to risk assessment (Chadwick 1992).

The identification of human genes, for example, can lead to the following conflict: on the one hand genetic knowledge enhances therapies for hereditary disease, on the other hand, it poses problems about the potentially exploitative use of resources and genetic information. The attempt to sequence the entire human genome raises ethical questions whether the risks of exploitation outweigh the benefits of knowledge.

Genetic alterations passed on to future generations through so-called germline therapy raise further problems regarding consent while, at the same time, ‘improving’ human genetic potential for future generations. Do we have an obligation to present generations to relieve suffering by seeking treatments for genetic disease or do future generations have a right to an unmodified genetic inheritance? Equally, the advantages of genetic screening can be outweighed by the costs of stigmatization on the basis of a person’s genetic make-up. Such individuals might find themselves unemployable or uninsurable. There also arises the question whether the very existence of genetic screening can exert pressure on individuals with regard to their reproductive decisions, thus impairing their autonomy. How can genetic public health be fostered without practicing eugenics? Arguments about the moral urgency of relieving suffering also conflict with arguments about human dignity that discredit the production of ‘designer babies’ (Annas and Elias 1992).

The incorporation of foreign genes into the genome of an organism is commonly discussed in connection with animals and plants. One dilemmatic issue concerns the interests of the host organism (particularly in the case of animals), the consequences for human health and for other species, and the risks of releasing genetically engineered organisms into the environment.

A related issue has been the matter of justification of treatment. Animal experimentation poses the question whether animals have moral status to the detriment of life-enhancing research results for humans. As subjects of genetic engineering, for example, farm animals have suffered from unintended deleterious effects, while research animals have suffered the consequences of being intentionally bred for propensity to develop debilitating diseases. A further important issue is related to the question whether an agent who had moral status can cease to have that status. The human cases of the brain dead, anencephalic infants, and those in a permanently vegetative state are cases in point. If so, then the case of xenotransplantation or the transplanting of animal organs into humans is affected. The interlocking questions of moral standing, justification of treatment, and loss of moral considerability can thus cause conflicts as to which consideration should be given more weight. Ethical dilemmas in research are thus a challenge to those within and those outside research, to debate whether research practices and their effects are right and just.

2.3 Limits To The Application Of Moral Principles

Moral rules and principles do not only have to be adapted to the specific circumstances at hand. They also have to be questioned in light of practice. However, in many of the cases that feature in research ethics, often times we do not agree in our moral principles or the moral theories by which they are justified. Even if the application of principles to cases can be specified and thus epistemic dilemmas resolved, there are limits as to what the application of principles can do to resolve dilemmas: the basic problem of dilemmas remains at least in one respect. There is no agreement as to how to balance between various conflicting moral principles in order to decide which predominate in a respective case. Intuitions vary widely, and various normative theories like utilitarianism, Kantianism, contractualism, virtue theory, and feminist ethics usually remain at odds with each other. It seems desirable to take into account as many considerations as possible on the level of principles themselves in order to highlight the various ethical implications of a case at hand. Not only questions of utility, but also questions of integrity and care can thus be given more weight. Further work, however, needs to be done at the level of ethical theory itself to set out how various principles derived from different normative theories can be balanced.

Bibliography:

  • Annas G J, Elias S (eds.) 1992 Gene Mapping: Using Law and Ethics as Guides. Oxford University Press, New York
  • Beauchamp T L, Childress J F 1994 Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 4th edn. Oxford University Press, New York
  • Chadwick R F 1992 Ethics, Reproduction and Genetic Control. Routledge, London
  • Collingridge D 1980 The Social Control of Technology. St. Martin’s Press, New York
  • Erwin E, Gendin S, Kleiman L (eds.) 1994 Ethical Issues in Scientific Research. Garland, New York
  • Gowans C W (ed.) 1987 Moral Dilemmas. Oxford University Press, New York
  • Mason H E (ed.) 1996 Moral Dilemmas and Moral Theory. Oxford University Press, New York
  • Nida-Rumelin J (ed.) 1996 Angewandte Ethik. Aroner, Stuttgart, Germany [1996 Applied Ethics]
  • Sinnott-Armstrong W 1988 Moral Dilemmas. Blackwell, Oxford, UK
  • Stocker M 1990 Plural and Conflicting Values. Clarendon, Oxford, UK

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Ethical Dilemma Research Papers Samples For Students

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Research Paper On Ethical Dilemmas In Business

Ethical dilemmas, free ethical issues research paper sample, obtaining patient’s informed consent, heart disease and stroke prevention research paper, introduction. 2.

Strategic Plan3 Program Description.5 Leadership Challenges..6 Ethical Implications..7

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Good Example Of Research Paper On Political Science

What are the types of ethical predicaments encountered in public personnel administration.

Types of Ethical Predicaments Encountered in Public Personnel Administration 3 Common Ethical Dilemmas 3 The Context of Ethics 4 Administrative Discretion 5 Constitutional Prerequisite 6 Ethical Predicaments in Administrative Discretion 6 Corruption 7 Ethical Predicaments in Corruption 8 Other Types of Ethical Predicaments 9 Nepotism 9 Information Leaks 10 Public Accountability 10 Policy Dilemmas 10 Discussion 11 Conclusion 12

References 13

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Description of issue and its impact on the population it affects most.

Arguments or facts used in the article to support the proposed solution

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Ethical and legal issues reported for administrative intervention

Explanation of managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues.

Identification of any proposed solutions.

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180 Ethics Topics & Ethical Questions to Debate

Our code of ethics is derived from what we think is right or wrong. On top of that, we have to agree to the moral standards established by the society we live in. Conventional norms generally label theft, murder, or harassment as bad. However, there are many influences that impact our considerations and understanding of ethics.

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Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies moral issues. This article outlines the three different types of ethics and presents a list of compelling ethics topics for essays and research papers, as well as ethical questions to debate.

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🔝 Top 10 Ethical Topics

  • 🧑🤝🧑Types of Ethics
  • 🤔 Ethical Issues
  • 🖥️ Computer Ethics
  • 🧬 Bioethics
  • 🚓👮 Criminal Justice
  • ⚖️ Ethical Dilemmas

⭐ Top 10 Ethics Topics to Debate

😈 ethical questions to debate, 🔍 references.

  • Religious beliefs vs. medical care
  • Issues behind unpaid internships
  • Toxic environment at the workplace
  • The dilemma of reporting an accident
  • Should one’s political leanings be private?
  • The limits of doctor-patient confidentiality
  • Is it ethical to pay children for good grades?
  • Ethics at the workplace and discrimination
  • Should social media be allowed at the workplace?
  • Promotion of environmental responsibility in business

🧑🤝🧑 Types of Ethics

Modern philosophy splits ethics into three groups: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.

  • The core question of metaethics is: “What is morality, and where does it come from?” It is also concerned with the emergence of human values, motivation, and reasoning.
  • Normative ethics seeks to answer the question, “How should I act?” An example of a normative moral theory is Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law . In other words: be kind.
  • Applied ethics seeks to apply moral considerations into real-life controversial subjects. Its contents can vary greatly and touch bioethics as well as criminal justice. It studies specific actions and practices from the point of moral acceptance.

Virtues are necessary.

However, ethics does not end with these three types. Over the centuries, philosophers have proposed various ethical theories. Their four general categories are deontological, utilitarian, right, and virtue ethics.

  • A deontologist is a person with a set of moral duties from which they will not adhere. When faced with an ethical conflict, they will always act according to their self-proclaimed obligations.
  • For a utilitarian , a decision needs to yield the greatest benefit for the majority.
  • If rights are the root of an ethical theory, these are the highest priority. A person’s rights can either be established in a society by law or bestowed from one individual upon another.
  • Judging someone by virtue means considering a person’s character rather than their actions. Here, an individual’s reputation, motivation, and ethics play a crucial role.

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🤔 Ethical Topics for an Essay

Ethical issues are situations in which an individual needs to evaluate which course of action is morally right. Essays on this topic shine a light on difficult questions. Therefore, students need to defend their position convincingly.

  • Discuss what we should do about climate change . 
  • What are the moral problems surrounding abortion ? 
  • Can we still justify eating meat? 
  • Investigate the use of plastic in the beauty industry. 
  • Is it unethical to be extremely rich? 
  • Should you buy Nestlé products despite the fact that the company privatizes water? 
  • Is the unequal distribution of wealth unethical? 
  • Discuss how workplace ethics should take sexism into account. 
  • What can we do to combat racism ? 
  • Why are LGBT + people discriminated against? 
  • Should euthanasia be legal? 
  • Can war be ethical? 
  • Should schools punish students for attending the Fridays for Future protests? 
  • Would drug use be unethical if it were legal? 
  • Explain the moral problems that come with automating jobs . 

The Ten Commandments.

  • Is it ethical to hire someone to do assignments for you? 
  • How far should everyone’s right to privacy go? 
  • Is using animals for scientific testing unethical? 
  • How should governments deal with refugees ? 
  • Discuss the carbon impact of having children. 
  • Can modern societies still be held accountable for what their nation did in the past? 
  • Analyze the benefits and disadvantages of universal income . 
  • How much control should the state have on the press? 
  • Should schools teach religion ? 
  • What are ethical concerns regarding downloading media from the internet? 

🖥️ Computer Ethics Essay Topics

The advent of information technology has altered every aspect of our lives. Computer ethics applies traditional moral theories to everything surrounding computers and cyber security. The list below contains enthralling ethical topics concerned with the realm of computing.

  • How much work should we leave entirely to computers? 
  • Discuss the dangers of storing vulnerable data online. 
  • Are computers secure enough to contain so much information about our lives? 
  • Discuss if hacking can be morally justified. 
  • Examine privacy-related concerns regarding computers . 
  • Should all software be free? 
  • How can you legitimize the possession of a computer algorithm patent? 
  • What can be done to prevent cyberbullying ? 
  • Investigate the moral effects anonymity has on internet users. 
  • Whose laws apply if you wish to protect your rights online? 
  • Discuss how the necessity to own a computer impacts poorer nations and people. 
  • Which ethical problems can people face due to the internet’s possibilities? 
  • When is sabotaging another person’s computer justified? 
  • Analyze the social responsibility that comes with developing new software. 
  • Are computer crimes less harmful than crimes against humans? 
  • Who owns information that is distributed online? 
  • What is more important: easy accessibility or privacy? 
  • Investigate the moral problems associated with AI . 
  • If a computer makes a critical mistake, whose fault is it? 
  • Discuss the importance of netiquette. 
  • How should tech companies deal with ethical problems? 
  • Can AI algorithms ensure ethical behavior? 
  • Why do tech companies need ethics boards? 
  • Which ethical conflicts appear when using drones ? 
  • Investigate racial bias in facial recognition systems. 

🏅 Sports Ethics Topics for a Paper

Morality in sports is based on integrity, respect, responsibility, and fairness. Often, this puts athletes into a dilemma: do I want to be ethical, or do I want to win? Answering these questions is not always easy. The following list compiles sports topics for a research paper on ethics.

  • What are moral complications when using enhancement drugs? 
  • Is gamesmanship unethical? 
  • How important is ethics in sports? 
  • Discuss the moral responsibilities of athletes . 
  • What are ethical reasons to pay college athletes ? 
  • Investigate the ethical implications of kneeling for the national anthem . 
  • Can college sports and the principles of higher education go hand in hand? 
  • Investigate the sexist bias in sports. 
  • Was it selfish when the American female soccer team went to court to demand equal pay? 

Thomas A. Edison quote.

  • What moral obligations do universities have towards their athletes? 
  • When can you justify cheating ? 
  • Concerning the environment, how can professional sports events be ethical? 
  • Which ethical issues do healthcare workers have concerning sportspeople? 
  • Which moral duties do teams’ coaches have? 
  • Are the extremely high salaries of sports professionals justified? 
  • In 2003, the Olympics abolished the wild card system. Was that fair? 
  • Because of the Paralympics, disabled athletes cannot take part in the real Olympics. Is that discriminatory? 
  • Discuss how money influences the fairness of a sport. 
  • Debate if and how children are exploited to become elite athletes. 
  • Which moral duties should a good sport follow? 
  • How much should parents get involved in their child’s physical education ? 
  • Investigate if everyday codes of ethics should apply to sports. 
  • Discuss the ethical implications of motorsports. 
  • Who is responsible if a player gets injured? 
  • Are referees always fair? 

🧬 Bioethics Topics for an Essay

Bioethics comes into play when we talk about life and health. It expands from genetics to neurology and even plastic surgery. In the name of the common good, researchers often find themselves in conflicting positions. This makes bioethics an especially exciting topic to write about.

  • Discuss the moral conflicts of genetic engineering . 
  • What are the ethical responsibilities associated with using CRISPR ? 
  • Investigate the problems of stem cell research . 
  • When can humans be used for drug testing ? 
  • Should vaccinations be mandatory for everyone? 
  • Investigate the ethics that apply to a medical worker. 
  • Discuss the harmful effects of plastic surgery . 
  • Should a person who is brain dead be kept alive? 
  • Is it just that medical care is linked to an individual’s ability to pay? 
  • Should everyone be an organ donor by default? 
  • What is more important: a person’s right to privacy or the information of at-risk relatives? 
  • Is prenatal invasive testing ethical? 
  • Should neuroenhancement drugs be legal? 
  • Discuss ethical conflicts concerning Disclosure and Barring Service. 
  • Is it ethical to improve memory functions with brain stimulation ? 
  • Analyze the ethical issues concerning precision medicine. 
  • What are the problems of surrogacy ? 
  • Should medical personnel collect healthy tissues of a deceased person without their consent? 

Bioethics is closely connected with the fields of technology, medicine, politics, philosophy, and law,

  • What should be done with the child of a brain-dead pregnant woman? 
  • How important is a subject’s anonymity during research? 
  • Discuss the ethics of shared decision-making . 
  • How much responsibility do mentally challenged people carry for their actions? 
  • Was Sweden right not to impose strict lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic? 
  • To what extent are businesses responsible for their employees’ health? 
  • Should universal healthcare be free? 

🚓👮 Criminal Justice Ethics Topics to Write About

Law enforcers should always act ethically. Unfortunately, it is not always the case. Police officers and attorneys often end up in morally ambiguous situations. In many cases, they don’t do what the public deems the right thing. Below are the examples of criminal justice ethics topics.

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  • When is it legitimate for a police officer to use violence? 
  • How can an officer remain impartial? 
  • Should law enforcement visibly wear guns in public? 
  • How much force is too much? 
  • Investigate possible ethical implications associated with true crime podcasts. 
  • Should prostitution be legal in the US? 
  • How ethical is interrogation ? 
  • Can torture be justified? 
  • Discuss the ethical consequences of lying when working in criminal justice . 
  • Is working undercover deception? 
  • Debate whether it is an American citizen’s moral duty to participate in jury duty. 
  • Should the police be allowed to access everyone’s data? 
  • Discuss the moral complications of “innocent until proven guilty.” 
  • Should convicted pedophiles be allowed to see their children? 
  • Can teaching ethics at schools prevent crime? 
  • Analyze ethical problems of the Stanford Prison Experiment . 
  • Should NATO have become involved in America’s Afghan war ? 
  • What are the ethical implications of shooter drills at school? 
  • Was Edward Snowden morally in the wrong? 
  • How should we deal with child soldiers ? 
  • Discuss if the prosecution of Julian Assange is justified. 
  • Examine the ethical problems of private prisons . 
  • What moral obligations should someone consider when granting prisoners the right to work? 
  • When is capital punishment justified? 
  • Is it ethical to incarcerate juvenile offenders ? 

⚖️ Ethical Dilemma Topics to Write About

An ethical issue becomes a dilemma when different moral standards clash with each other. In this situation, it is impossible to find a path to an ethically permissible solution that is unambiguous. The following sample topics are a solid base to start a discussion on morals.

  • Should parents watch over what their children do on the internet? 
  • Would you report an accident you caused if there are no witnesses? 
  • What should a doctor do if a patient refuses life-saving treatment for religious reasons? 
  • Should you turn down a client if their political views do not match yours? 
  • Would you promote something you are not convinced of to get money? 
  • Should you lie to land a job that gets you out of poverty? 

Ethical dilemmas.

  • Your partner cheated on you. Now, you get the chance to take your revenge with someone you really like. Would you do it? 
  • Should students use automated writing tools like free thesis generators , summarizers, and paraphrasers? 
  • Your teacher is continuously mocking your classmate. You are a teacher’s pet. Would you speak up? 
  • Your son likes to wear dresses. One day, he asks if he can wear one to school. Will you let him? 
  • You are very religious. Your daughter wants to get married to another woman and invites you to her wedding. What will you do? 
  • Prenatal testing showed that your unborn child has a disability. Would you terminate pregnancy? 
  • You are in a long-term relationship. Suddenly, your partner gets a job offer in another part of the world. What would you do? 
  • You have a terminal illness . This makes you a financial burden to your relatives. Are you obliged towards them to quit your treatment? 
  • You have a red and a blue candy bar. Blue is your favorite, but you also know that it’s your friend’s favorite. Will you give it to them? 
  • A friend asked you for a loan. Since then, they have not given you anything back. They are still not wholly stable financially. Will you ask them to return the money? 
  • Your grandma passed away and bequeathed her favorite mink coat to you. You are a vegan. What do you do? 
  • A few years ago, you borrowed a gun from a friend. Now, they ask for it back, but their mental state seems to be rapidly deteriorating. This makes you scared they are going to shoot someone, or themselves. What do you do? 
  • You find out that your friend cheats on their spouse. You are close friends with their family. Will you tell on them? 
  • For your birthday, your friend gave you a sweater they’ve made themselves. You think it’s ugly. Do you tell them? 
  • You are a vegan . Should you buy vegan products which are highly problematic to produce? 
  • You are in a restaurant. Your order arrives too late. The waitress looks stressed. Will you make her take it back? 
  • You went to the store and bought a new, expensive item. The clerk gives you too much change. Do you give it back? 
  • You are walking with a friend and find $50 on the floor. Would you share it with them? 
  • Your child firmly believes in Santa Claus. One Christmas , they start suspecting that he is not real. What do you do? 
  • Is having pets ethical?
  • Can eating meat be justified?
  • Should we defund the police?
  • Should atomic bombs be banned?
  • Can discrimination be justified?
  • Is it ethical to ask someone’s age?
  • Should children get paid for chores?
  • Is it unprofessional to send voice messages?
  • Should children be allowed to vote?
  • Should influencers promote products they don’t use?
  • Should there be any limitations to doctor and patient confidentiality?
  • Should physician-assisted suicide be allowed?
  • Can teenagers get plastic surgery?
  • What to do when you find out that your relative has committed an offense?
  • What to do when you see your friend cheating on the exam?
  • Should sportsmen be paid more than teachers?
  • Should gender quotas be used during parliamentary elections?
  • Do companies have the right to collect information about their customers?
  • Can politicians appeal to religious issues during electoral campaigns?
  • Should fake news be censored in a democratic society?

We hope that in this list you’ve found the ethics topic that fits you the best. Good luck with your assignment!

Further reading:

  • 430 Philosophy Topics & Questions for Your Essay
  • 226 Research Topics on Criminal Justice & Criminology
  • 512 Research Topics on HumSS (Humanities & Social Sciences)
  • 204 Research Topics on Technology & Computer Science
  • What’s the Difference Between Morality and Ethics?: Britannica
  • What is Ethics?: Santa Clara University
  • Ethics: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Metaethics: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Ethical Issues: Idaho State University
  • The Problem with AI Ethics: The Verge
  • Sports Ethics: Santa Clara University
  • What Is Bioethics?: Michigan State University
  • Ethics in Criminal Justice: Campbellsville University
  • Kant’s Formula of Universal Law: Harvard University
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COMMENTS

  1. Ethical Considerations in Research

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  2. Ethical Papers Writing Guide with Examples and Topic Ideas

    An ethics paper is a type of an argumentative assignment that deals with a certain ethical problem that a student has to describe and solve. Also, it can be an essay where a certain controversial event or concept is elaborated through an ethical lens (e.g. moral rules and principles), or a certain ethical dilemma is explained.

  3. 221 Ethical Dilemma Topics & Essay Samples

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