Many anthropologists will be required to gain ethics approval in order to begin their research. Prior to commencing, though, it is not always possible to predict what will happen in the field, or how you as the researcher will react, much less to incorporate all possible safeguards in an ethics application. My research was conducted at a special education needs college with the aim of discovering the sense of self of students with intellectual disabilities. I underwent a lengthy and complicated ethics approval process and gained associated external approvals. As my research evolved in the field, I became interested in strands of enquiry that without care could have potentially breached my ethics guidelines. New questions could suggest to staff that I was doing something other than stipulated in their consent documents. The ethics approval process can help refine the research methodology and analysis; however, it cannot prepare us for the moral conundrums that arise in the field.

中文翻译：

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道德困境和道德难题

许多人类学家需要获得伦理批准才能开始他们的研究。然而，在开始之前，并不总是能够预测该领域会发生什么，或者作为研究人员您将如何反应，更不用说将所有可能的保障措施纳入道德申请中。我的研究是在一所特殊教育需求学院进行的，目的是发现智障学生的自我意识。我经历了漫长而复杂的道德审批流程，并获得了相关的外部批准。随着我的研究在该领域的发展，我开始对那些不加注意可能违反我的道德准则的探究感兴趣。新问题可能会向工作人员暗示我正在做他们同意文件中规定之外的事情。伦理审批流程有助于完善研究方法和分析；然而，它无法让我们为该领域出现的道德难题做好准备。