Authoring Alumna: Ethical Research
Monica Brooker cowrote a chapter for the Handbook of Ethical Research with Ethnocultural Populations and Communities
Monica Brooker
When I began working at the Murray Research Center in 2001, I wanted to gain practical research experience. During that time, I had the privilege of being a member of the center’s Diversity Archive Project Team. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Diversity Archive’s primary goals were to acquire studies with racially and ethnically diverse samples and encourage the use of such data for new studies.
Three years later, when my colleague Copeland Young asked me to collaborate on a writing project about the ethical implications of archiving data with minority samples, I was thrilled. Of course, two seconds later I felt completely overwhelmed at the thought of co-authoring a chapter. Fortunately, my academic preparation at the Extension School—including the multitude of papers and critiques that I had written over the course of my undergraduate career—my experiences working with numerous researchers, my acquaintance with the ethical issues that many researchers raise regarding the archiving and use of their data (particularly when it focuses on the lives and experiences of communities and individuals of color), and my personal commitment to ethically sensitive research approaches with all communities prepared me for the task. Also, the allure of writing about a timely topic was an added incentive to participate.
Ethical deliberations often present unique challenges for writers. Beyond the usual requisites of a balanced and comprehensive perspective, the writer is also required to convey the relevance of the subject, and, most importantly, to recruit critical analysis and discussions of ideal standards for the subject, in this case, the use of data from minority communities.
The project required many long hours, but the potential impact of the book on the research community, the ongoing support of my co-author, and the honor of writing in the company of such a distinguished group of social scientists was truly rewarding. The end result is a work of which I am truly proud.
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