Ethical decision making in a mixed methodological study investigating emotional intelligence and perceived stress amongst Academics

Whereas there appears to be a large body of literature that focuses on ethical concerns within the context of research, there continues to be a feeling of isolation and lack of awareness of ethical guidance and support that leaves researchers to rely on institutional ethical requirements as well as their own ethical principles and previous experience. Consequently, there can be a significant variance in the quality of research. The challenge is that ethical decision making is not a term that can be simply defined, as it appears to include multiple influences such as individual difference, that include personality and environmental factors. As there appears to be no universal consensus, and the definition of ethics is broad, it gives rise to difficulties in defining the term “ethics”. However, it is important that stakeholder rights and dignity are protected. Hence, ethics is an essential component that needs to be addressed when undertaking academic research. The aim of this paper is to discuss the ethical implications associated with the study that investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived stress amongst 533 academics, helping to add a little more to existing information.