principles for research ethics APA By DEBORAH SMITH Monitor Staff January 2003, Vol 34, No. 1 Print version: page 56 (excerpt reprinted for fair use reporting and commentary)

1. Follow informed-consent rules
   When done properly, the consent process ensures that individuals are voluntarily participating in the research with full knowledge of relevant risks and benefits.
   "The federal standard is that the person must have all of the information that might reasonably influence their willingness to participate in a form that they can understand and comprehend," says Koocher, dean of Simmons College's School for Health Studies.
   APA's Ethics Code mandates that psychologists should inform participants about:
   The purpose of the research, expected duration and procedures.
   Participants' rights to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once it has started, as well as the anticipated consequences of doing so.
   Reasonably foreseeable factors that may influence their willingness to participate, such as potential risks, discomfort or adverse effects.
   Any prospective research benefits. Limits of confidentiality, such as data coding, disposal, sharing and archiving, and when confidentiality must be broken.
   Incentives for participation.
   Who participants can contact with questions.

Know federal and state law. Know the ins and outs of state and federal law that might apply to your research.

Commentary: I was not informed about the Whale experiment before it started. It was only through the vocal adverse reaction of affected members did details about this Voting Experiment surface. After member were made to feel, anger, discomfort, and resentment. This Experiment was handled in an amateur manner.

Steem.it is still in Beta, and as such changes are expected as information is collected. But, the participating members are not the guinea pigs for the whales or anybody else. Active research to collect data that adversely affects the individual is unethical at best. This membership is deserving of the respect and appreciation of the current leadership.

The above guidelines are for professional psychologists. Amature researchers should have knowledge of what professional ethics are.

This is Henry Gant. Man about town.