Research ethics in Russian psychology dissertations: Current state and prospects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/3034-4255-2025-2-4-364-371Keywords:
research ethics, informed consent, confidentiality, voluntary participation, ethics committee, dissertations, psychological scienceAbstract
Research ethics is gaining increasing prominence in contemporary psychological science, setting standards of quality and social responsibility for non-medical studies involving human participants. This pilot study aimed to analyze how ethical aspects are reflected in psychology dissertations defended in Russia in 2025. The empirical materials included 91 dissertations available on the website of the Higher Attestation Commission, of which 38 (42%) reported the use of research ethics practices. Content analysis revealed that ethical aspects are described fragmentarily and mainly in a declarative manner. The most frequently mentioned aspects were informed consent (31%), voluntary participation (23%), and data confidentiality (21%), whereas mentions of research ethics committee approval were extremely rare (1%). The results indicate an early stage of institutionalization of research ethics in the psychological sciences and a lack of unified standards for describing ethical procedures. Of particular note is the observed transfer of norms from the medical field: the only dissertation approved by an ethics committee was prepared at a medical university. The findings highlight the need to further develop a research ethics culture and institutional support mechanisms for researchers working with human participants.
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