ABSTRACT
Criminological research is a particularly thorny area because the issues criminologists wish to research are often highly sensitive and therefore the potential to harm is ever present. In this chapter, the authors encourage researchers to think about ethics of criminological research. They begin by outlining the key ethical principles that underpin professional associations' guidance on research ethics. The authors develop a discussion about these key principles through which researchers will begin to gain more understanding of the complexities of ethical decision making. Despite researchers' best efforts, unforeseen ethical dilemmas may arise during the process of conducting research. Some methodology textbooks go into long explanations about the different stances on ethics, which can serve to over-complicate the debates for those who are new to research. Linda Moore provides a good discussion of her research with children in custody which outlines some of the difficulties involved in gaining consent from children.
