Incentives change the status of a volunteer when they blur free choice. Therefore, when some individual feels compelled to participate in a study as a result of incentive, their volunteer status changes. An appropriate incentive should still not bind the volunteer to the project. It should act as a tool of motivation rather than obligatory demand. To know an appropriate incentive for a study, the researcher should take note of the respondent’s approach and attitude towards the study. If they express a sense of obligation to the inquiry, the incentive ought to be scrapped (Smith, 2014).
Question 2
Outcomes tend to be limited and rigid when the volunteers are involved in the study. Essentially, since the researcher has no influence over the determination of participants, the latter group tends to be less diverse. Some of the ethical considerations for non-volunteer participants include respect, justice and beneficence.
Question 3
Research fraud is manifested when a researcher falsifies data with the intention of gaining financially or immaterially from the act. Since science inquiries are inclined towards the determination of truth about given phenomena, the use of false data jeopardizes the intention (Gupta, 2013). Research fraud occurs when the researcher has expectations on the outcomes of the study. Subsequently, the subject will doctor the research to reflect his predetermined intentions. Personal recognition and career development provides the next inspiration behind research fraud (Fraser, 2013). The tenure process in the academic environment is also an inspiration behind research fraud.
Question 4
To mitigate volunteer bias, there is need for the establishment of an experimental control group. The latter unit should not be informed of the intentions of the study to avoid the volunteer bias (Bordens " Abott, 2014). As such, the control group will be able to give data that is authentic given their lack of obligatory emotions towards the study.
References
Bordens, K. S. " Abott, B. B. (2014). Research Design and Methods. New York: McGraw Hill.
Gupta, A. (2013). Fraud and Misconduct in Clinical Research: A Concern. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 4(2), 144-147.
Fraser, S. G. (2013). Why is research fraud wrong? International Journal of General Medicine, 6, 629-630.
Smith, J. D. (2014). Is a Council Tax Rebate for Volunteering an Incentive Too Far? Retrieved from https://blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2014/07/29/is-a-council-tax-rebate-for-volunteering-an-incentive-too-far/
