This book gives a voice to debates surrounding social science research ethics in Africa and brings them together in a coherent form to assist readers in being at the forefront of the discussions. The book gives an overview of the importance of research ethics in social sciences, as well as articulating the African influence on the subject matter. Subsequently it looks into specific frameworks and tools that researchers can apply in the process of doing research. Last but not least it also takes an in-depth look at traditional ethical issues pertaining to research in social sciences, through the lens of the African continent. This is the first book on social science research ethics in an African context and an indispensable resource for researchers, students, policy makers and research institutions in or interested in African research ethics.
Dr Nico Nortjé has been involved with ethics training and research for the past two decades. Nico has a doctorate in Applied Ethics from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and also holds two masters degrees one in Psychology (cum laude) and one in Future Studies (Business) from the same university. He furthermore also has a post-graduate diploma in Clinical Counselling from the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and another post-graduate diploma from the University of Pretoria (South Africa) in Medical Law. Nico has more than thirty peer reviewed articles and seven book chapters to his name. He is the main editor on another book looking at healthcare Ethics in Africa, and has given numerous keynote addresses across the globe. Nico is an editor for the Canadian Journal of Bioethics and is often approached by industry specific journals to write articles/opinion pieces on ethics. Nico's own research interest includes moral decision-making in healthcare settings. He is currently on the faculty of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer center in Houston (USA) where he is a clinical ethicist, assistant professor in teaching, and also a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Dr Retha Visagie is the Manager: Research Integrity at the University of South Africa. She has been an advocate for research ethics reform since 2012. Prior to her appointment as a research manager, she taught psychiatric nursing science and research methodology at a number of local universities. She has a doctorate degree in Psychiatric Nursing Science from the University of Johannesburg. She furthermore also has a postgraduate diploma in Health Research Ethics (Cum Laude) from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa). She was awarded the prestigious title of Fogarty Fellow in 2015. Retha is the 2018 recipient of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association's award for professional excellence in research management. She is active in the Southern African research ethics community and, as such, is the chairperson of the Executive Board of the Research Ethics Committee Association of Southern Africa (REASA). Her research interest includes building research capacity in universities with a special interest in research ethics governance. She remains active as a research supervisor. She has co-authored nine peer-reviewed journal articles, is the author of a research-based book and presented numerous academic papers at national and international conferences.
Dr JS (Kobus) Wessels (DPhil, University of Pretoria) is a National Research Foundation (NRF) C2-rated researcher in Research Methodology in Public Administration. He is a Research Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Management of the University of South Africa. As part of an on-going search for understanding the meaningfulness of Public Administration knowledge, his research focuses on the trustworthiness (quality, quantity, ethics and integrity) of that knowledge and its methods, as well as its antecedents and consequences of meaningful knowledge. Therefore, Dr Wessels specialises in Public Administration research methodology, research ethics and postgraduate research supervision. His research interests include the methodological preparation of Masters and Doctoral students, the selection of appropriate research methods for research projects, higher education policy and ethics in Public Administration. He is co-editor of and contributor to the scholarly books: Reflective Public Administration: Context, Knowledge and Methods, Reflective Public Administration: Ethics (2014), Reflective Public Administration: Views from the South (1999), and editor and contributor to the textbook South African Human Resource Management for the Public Sector (2005 and 2011). Dr Wessels has also authored and co-authored more than 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as 19 other publications, reports and scholastic contributions.
尼可·諾特耶博士（Dr. Nico Nortjé）在過去二十年中一直參與倫理培訓和研究。尼可擁有南非史泰倫博斯大學的應用倫理學博士學位，並且在同一所大學獲得了心理學（優等）和未來研究（商業）兩個碩士學位。此外，他還擁有來自蘇格蘭格拉斯哥大學的臨床輔導研究生文憑，以及南非比勒陀利亞大學的醫療法研究生文憑。尼可擁有超過三十篇經過同行評審的文章和七個書章。他是一本探討非洲醫療倫理的書籍的主編，並在全球各地發表了多次主題演講。尼可是《加拿大生物倫理學期刊》的編輯，並經常受到行業特定期刊的邀請撰寫有關倫理的文章或評論。尼可的研究興趣包括醫療環境中的道德決策。他目前在美國休士頓的德克薩斯大學MD安德森癌症中心擔任臨床倫理學家、助理教授，並且是機構審查委員會（IRB）的成員。
瑞莎·維薩基博士（Dr. Retha Visagie）是南非大學的研究誠信經理。自2012年以來，她一直是研究倫理改革的倡導者。在擔任研究經理之前，她在多所當地大學教授精神護理科學和研究方法學。她擁有約翰尼斯堡大學的精神護理科學博士學位，並且在南非史泰倫博斯大學獲得健康研究倫理的研究生文憑（優等）。她於2015年獲得了著名的福加提獎學金。瑞莎是2018年南部非洲研究與創新管理協會的研究管理專業卓越獎的獲得者。她活躍於南部非洲的研究倫理社群，並擔任南部非洲研究倫理委員會協會（REASA）執行委員會的主席。她的研究興趣包括在大學中建立研究能力，特別關注研究倫理治理。她仍然活躍於研究指導工作。她共同撰寫了九篇經過同行評審的期刊文章，是一本基於研究的書籍的作者，並在國內外會議上發表了多篇學術論文。
JS（科布斯）韋塞爾斯博士（Dr. JS (Kobus) Wessels，德克薩斯大學博士，南非比勒陀利亞大學）是國家研究基金會（NRF）C2級的公共行政研究方法學研究者。他是南非大學公共行政與管理系的研究教授。作為持續探索公共行政知識意義的一部分，他的研究專注於該知識及其方法的可信度（質量、數量、倫理和誠信），以及有意義知識的前因和後果。因此，韋塞爾斯博士專注於公共行政研究方法學、研究倫理和研究生研究指導。他的研究興趣包括碩士和博士生的研究方法準備、為研究項目選擇適當的研究方法、高等教育政策以及公共行政中的倫理。他是學術書籍《反思公共行政：背景、知識與方法》、《反思公共行政：倫理》（2014年）、《反思公共行政：來自南方的觀點》（1999年）的共同編輯和貢獻者，並且是教科書《南非公共部門人力資源管理》（2005年和2011年）的編輯和貢獻者。韋塞爾斯博士還在經過同行評審的期刊上發表了超過40篇出版物，以及19篇其他出版物、報告和學術貢獻。
