BACKGROUND There is growing interest in the use and incorporation of empirical data in bioethics research. Much of the recent focus has been on specific "empirical bioethics" methodologies, which attempt to integrate the empirical and the normative. Researchers in the field are, however, beginning to explore broader questions, including around acceptable standards of practice for undertaking such research. The framework: In this article, we further widen the focus to consider the overall shape of an empirical bioethics research project. We outline a framework that identifies three key phases of such research, which are conveyed via a landscaping metaphor of Mapping-Framing-Shaping. First, the researcher maps the field of study, typically by undertaking literature reviews. Second, the researcher frames particular areas of the field of study, exploring these in depth, usually via qualitative research. Finally, the researcher seeks to (re-)shape the terrain by issuing recommendations that draw on the findings from the preceding phases. To qualify as empirical bioethics research, the researcher will utilise a methodology that seeks to bridge these different elements in order to arrive at normative recommendations. We illustrate the framework by citing examples of diverse projects which broadly adopt the three-phase framework. Amongst the strengths of the framework are its flexibility, since (as the examples indicate) it does not prescribe any specific methods or particular bridging methodology. However, the framework might also have its limitations, not least because it appears particularly to capture projects that involve qualitative - as opposed to quantitative - research. CONCLUSIONS Despite its possible limitations, we offer the Mapping-Framing-Shaping framework in the hope that this will prove useful to those who are seeking to plan and undertake empirical bioethics research projects.

中文翻译：

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绘图，框架，塑造：经验生物伦理学研究项目的框架。

背景技术对在生物伦理学研究中使用和纳入经验数据的兴趣日益浓厚。最近的大部分关注点都集中在特定的“经验生物伦理学”方法论上，这些方法论试图将经验主义和规范性相结合。但是，该领域的研究人员开始探索更广泛的问题，包括围绕可接受的实践标准进行此类研究。框架：在本文中，我们进一步扩大了重点，以考虑经验性生物伦理学研究项目的总体形式。我们概述了一个框架，该框架确定了此类研究的三个关键阶段，这些阶段通过“映射-框架-塑造”的美化隐喻传达。首先，研究人员通常通过进行文献综述来绘制研究领域的图。第二，研究人员通常会通过定性研究来构成研究领域的特定领域，并对其进行深入研究。最后，研究人员试图通过发布根据先前阶段的发现提出的建议来（重新）塑造地形。为了获得经验生物伦理学研究的资格，研究人员将利用一种方法来寻求桥接这些不同要素的方法，以得出规范性的建议。我们通过引用广泛采用三阶段框架的各种项目的示例来说明该框架。该框架的优点之一是灵活性，因为（如示例所示）它没有规定任何特定的方法或特定的桥接方法。但是，该框架也可能有其局限性，尤其是因为它似乎特别是捕获涉及定性研究而不是定量研究的项目。结论尽管有其可能的局限性，我们还是提供了Mapping-Framing-Shaping框架，希望该框架对寻求计划和进行实证生物伦理学研究项目的人们有用。