Codes of research ethics: what are they useful for; and what are their limitations?

Abstract

This paper discusses the nature, usefulness, and limitations of codes of research ethics, with a particular focus on planning research. It situates ethical sensitivity within a broader historical and institutional context, highlighting how formal ethical approval has become a standard requirement across universities and research funders in the Global North and increasingly in Southern Europe. National initiatives in Portugal, Spain, and Italy illustrate different approaches to embedding ethical awareness. The paper contrasts procedural safeguards and formal approval processes with the reliance on codes of conduct, noting their shared tendency to constrain researchers’ autonomy. It argues that while codes and approvals can provide guidance and accountability, they risk framing ethics as an individualised or procedural exercise, overlooking the social and collective dimensions of ethical practice. The usefulness of codes lies in raising awareness and standardising expectations, but their limitations emerge when they fail to engage with the lived, contextual, and contested realities of research practice.