Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research
This article outlines ethical principles for ‘participant-centred linguistic research’ (PCLR), a term we coin to incorporate a range of linguistic research approaches that place importance on the involvement of participants. Linguistics, as a field, has strengthened its focus on participant-centred...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Linguistics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2023-0130 |
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| author | Atkins Sarah Mackenzie Jai Jones Lucy |
| author_facet | Atkins Sarah Mackenzie Jai Jones Lucy |
| author_sort | Atkins Sarah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article outlines ethical principles for ‘participant-centred linguistic research’ (PCLR), a term we coin to incorporate a range of linguistic research approaches that place importance on the involvement of participants. Linguistics, as a field, has strengthened its focus on participant-centred and socially situated research, recognising the value of better understanding our participants’ practices and linguistic knowledge. However, this also brings ethical challenges for our research practice. Drawing on three differing UK-based case studies from the authors’ own work, the article explores complex issues that can arise during PCLR and establishes four key principles that cut across our varied experiences. Firstly, we address participant consent and confidentiality, establishing the principles: 1. Informed consent and ethics protocols are dialogic processes and 2. Expectations around confidentiality and anonymity can shift during a project. Secondly, we address our research relationships with participants, our key principles being: 3. The researcher-participant relationship is complex and variable and 4. Close attention must be paid to power dynamics within the research setting. Ultimately, we argue that the human interactions and relationships involved in PCLR mean research may inevitably be somewhat unpredictable; researchers therefore need an understanding of the ethical parameters of their practice to navigate these complexities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3046bbd741524d8980c54393dadad1d3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0024-3949 1613-396X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Linguistics |
| spelling | doaj-art-3046bbd741524d8980c54393dadad1d32025-08-20T02:17:13ZengDe GruyterLinguistics0024-39491613-396X2025-03-0163237740610.1515/ling-2023-0130Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic researchAtkins Sarah0Mackenzie Jai1Jones Lucy2Department of Communication and Culture, Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1722Aston University, Birmingham, UKFaculty of Arts, Society and Professional Studies, Birmingham Newman University, Birmingham, UKSchool of English, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UKThis article outlines ethical principles for ‘participant-centred linguistic research’ (PCLR), a term we coin to incorporate a range of linguistic research approaches that place importance on the involvement of participants. Linguistics, as a field, has strengthened its focus on participant-centred and socially situated research, recognising the value of better understanding our participants’ practices and linguistic knowledge. However, this also brings ethical challenges for our research practice. Drawing on three differing UK-based case studies from the authors’ own work, the article explores complex issues that can arise during PCLR and establishes four key principles that cut across our varied experiences. Firstly, we address participant consent and confidentiality, establishing the principles: 1. Informed consent and ethics protocols are dialogic processes and 2. Expectations around confidentiality and anonymity can shift during a project. Secondly, we address our research relationships with participants, our key principles being: 3. The researcher-participant relationship is complex and variable and 4. Close attention must be paid to power dynamics within the research setting. Ultimately, we argue that the human interactions and relationships involved in PCLR mean research may inevitably be somewhat unpredictable; researchers therefore need an understanding of the ethical parameters of their practice to navigate these complexities.https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2023-0130ethicsparticipatory researchresearcher-participant relationshipconsentparticipants |
| spellingShingle | Atkins Sarah Mackenzie Jai Jones Lucy Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research Linguistics ethics participatory research researcher-participant relationship consent participants |
| title | Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research |
| title_full | Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research |
| title_fullStr | Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research |
| title_short | Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research |
| title_sort | ethical practice in participant centred linguistic research |
| topic | ethics participatory research researcher-participant relationship consent participants |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2023-0130 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT atkinssarah ethicalpracticeinparticipantcentredlinguisticresearch AT mackenziejai ethicalpracticeinparticipantcentredlinguisticresearch AT joneslucy ethicalpracticeinparticipantcentredlinguisticresearch |