The ethics of qualitative research

Editors’ note:This paper was prepared for a conference on Qualitative Research, Stanford University, 23‐36 June 1988 and was read also at the American Educational Studies Association meeting in Toronto, 2‐6 November 1988. It will be published as part of a book by Teachers College Press and is reprinted by permission of the publisher from Soltis, Jonas F., “The Ethics of Qualitative Research,” in Eisner, Elliot W. & Peshkin, Alan M., Qualitative Studies in Education[New York: Teachers College Press, #cW 1989 by Teachers College, Columbia University. All rights reserved], in press. QSE thanks Professor Soltis and Teachers College Press for permission to publish the paper. In it, Soltis sketches a broad overview of the ethics of qualitative research by exploring four major purposes to which qualitative research in education has been put and by showing how each of these gives rise to generic and specific research‐setting types of ethical issues.