How do cancer research scientists deal with machines and consumables? Exploring research ethics from an inductive ethnographic perspective

Abstract

This paper started from an inductive ethnography conducted within a cancer research lab in Belgium. The primary objective was to explore how researchers make decisions and rationalize their scientific practices. Through data collected from participant observation, interviews, and analysis of research protocols, the study exposes serious knowledge gaps that compromise research ethics. Specifically, the findings reveal the scientists’ need for more understanding of the validity of their lab machines and the readymade consumables procured from external providers. Moreover, without questioning this dependency, our participants (scientists) rely heavily on machines and consumables for almost all their research protocols. The findings suggest that cancer researchers place unjustifiable trust in the lab’s machines and the external providers’ reliability; this compromises the following three fundamental ethical principles: research integrity, responsible conduct, and the responsibility of using resources and technologies.