Section G

Research and Publication

Introduction

Counselors who conduct research (“researchers”) contribute to the knowledge base of the profession and promote a clearer understanding of the conditions that lead to a healthy and more just society. Counselors support the efforts of researchers by participating fully and willingly whenever possible. Counselors minimize bias and respect diversity in designing and implementing research. Responsibility for ethical research practices belongs to the primary researcher; however, all members of a research team are responsible for engaging in ethical research practices. Primary researchers are fully responsible for the originality and ethical use of content, even if AI tools are implemented.

G.1. Research Responsibilities

G.1.a. Conducting Research

Counselors plan, design, conduct, and report research in a manner that is consistent with pertinent ethical principles, federal and state laws, institutional regulations, and scientific standards governing research.

G.1.b. Confidentiality in Research

Counselors are responsible for understanding and adhering to state, federal, agency, or institutional policies or applicable guidelines regarding confidentiality in their research practices.

G.1.c. Independent Researchers

When approval is needed, counselors secure an external institutional review board to conduct research if they do not have access to a review board at their employment site.

G.1.d. Deviation from Standard Practice

Counselors seek consultation and observe stringent safeguards to protect the rights of research participants when research indicates that a deviation from standard or acceptable practices may be necessary.

G.1.e. Precautions to Avoid Injury

Counselors who conduct research are responsible for their participants’ welfare throughout the research process and take reasonable precautions to avoid causing harm to participants, and take reasonable measures to honor all commitments to research participants.

G.2. Rights of Research Participants

G.2.a. Informed Consent in Research

Counselors provide informed consent to prospective research participants in accordance with their institutional requirements and federal guidelines. Counselors have an obligation to review in writing and/or verbally with research participants the rights and responsibilities of both counselors and participants. Informed consent is an ongoing part of the research process and counselors appropriately document discussions and consent throughout the research process.

G.2.b. Student/Supervisee Participation

Researchers inform students and supervisees that the decision to participate as research participants is voluntary and will not affect academic standing or the supervisory relationship. Researchers provide an appropriate alternative for students to fulfill their academic or clinical requirements if they choose not to participate.

G.2.c. Client Participation

Counselors conducting research involving clients make clear in the informed consent process that clients are free to choose whether or not to participate in research activities. Counselors take necessary precautions to protect clients from adverse consequences of declining or withdrawing from participation.

G.2.d. Confidentiality of Information

Information obtained about research participants during the course of research is confidential. Procedures are implemented to protect confidentiality.

G.2.e. Persons Not Capable of Giving Informed Consent

When a research participant is not capable of giving informed consent, researchers attempt to obtain participant assent, and document that agreement to participate and appropriate consent was obtained from a legally authorized person.

G.2.f. Explanation After Data Collection

Where scientific or human values justify delaying or withholding information, counselors take reasonable measures to avoid causing harm. After data are collected, counselors provide participants with full clarification in writing of the nature of the study to remove any misconceptions participants might have regarding the research.

G.2.g. Research Records Custodian

As appropriate, researchers prepare and disseminate to an identified colleague or records custodian a plan for the transfer of research data in the case of their incapacitation, retirement, or death.

G.3. Managing and Maintaining Boundaries

G.3.a. Extending Researcher-Participant Boundaries

Researchers consider the risks and benefits of extending current research relationships beyond conventional parameters. When a non-research interaction between the researcher and the research participant may be potentially beneficial, the researcher must document, prior to the interaction (when feasible), the rationale for such an interaction, the potential benefit, and anticipated consequences for the research participant. Researchers should initiate such interactions with appropriate consent of the research participant. Researchers are ethically responsible for providing evidence of attempts to remedy unintentional harm that may occur to the participant.

G.3.b. Relationships with Research Participants

Researchers do not engage in sexual and/or romantic interactions or relationships with current research participants. This prohibition applies to both in-person and virtual interactions and relationships. Researchers should not consider such engagement for a period of at least five years after the termination of the research participation.

G.3.c. Harassment and Research Participants

Researchers do not condone or subject research participants to any forms of harassment, as defined in the glossary.

G.4. Reporting Results

G.4.a. Accurate Results

Researchers plan, conduct, and report research accurately. Counselors do not engage in misleading or fraudulent research, distort data, misrepresent data, or deliberately bias their results. They describe the extent to which results are applicable for diverse populations.

G.4.b. Obligation to Report Unfavorable Results

Counselors report the results of all research and do not withhold results that may reflect unfavorably on institutions, programs, services, prevailing opinions, or vested research interests.

G.4.c. Reporting Errors

If counselors discover significant errors in their published research, they take appropriate steps to correct errors via a correction erratum or similar published correction.

G.4.d. Identity of Participants

Counselors disguise the identity of research participants in the absence of specific authorization from the participants to do otherwise. In situations in which participants self-identify their involvement in research studies, researchers take active steps to ensure that data are adapted/changed to protect the identity and welfare of all parties and that discussion of results does not cause harm to participants.

G.4.e. Replication Studies

Counselors are obligated to make available sufficient original research information to qualified professionals who may wish to replicate or extend the study.

G.5. Publications and Presentations

G.5.a. Use of Case Examples

Counselors may use participants’, clients’, students’, or supervisees’ information for the purpose of case examples in a presentation or publication only when (a) participants, clients, students, or supervisees have reviewed the material and consented to its presentation or publication, or (b) the information has been sufficiently modified to obscure identity.

G.5.b. Plagiarism

Counselors do not plagiarize, present another person’s work as their own, or plagiarize their own previously published material.

G.5.c. Acknowledging Previous Work

In publications and presentations, counselors acknowledge and give recognition to previous work on the topic by others or self.

G.5.d. Contributors

Counselors give credit through joint authorship, acknowledgment, footnote statements, or other appropriate means to those who have contributed significantly to research or concept development in accordance with such contributions.

G.5.e. Agreement of Contributors

Researchers establish agreements in advance with colleagues, students, or supervisees with whom they conduct research regarding allocation of tasks, publication credit, and types of acknowledgment that will be received.

G.5.f. Student Research

Researchers do not use student work for manuscripts or professional presentations that are substantially based on a student’s course papers, projects, dissertations, or theses without the student’s written consent and the student listed as lead author.

G.5.g. Duplicate Submissions

Researchers do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at a time for consideration of publication. Researchers abide by publishers’ copyright and permissions rules.

G.5.h. Professional Review

Counselors who review material submitted for publication, research, or other scholarly purposes respect the confidentiality and proprietary rights of those who submitted it. Counselors make publication decisions based on valid and defensible standards. Counselors review article submissions in a timely manner and based on their scope and competency in research methodologies and content expertise.

G.6. Artificial Intelligence and Research and Scholarship

G.6.a. AI Disclosure

Counseling researchers declare any usage of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in research, data analysis, writing, publication, and presentations. In publication, counselors identify specific AI tools and describe how AI was utilized.

G.6.b. AI Acknowledgement

The use of AI in writing, publishing, and editing must be properly credited and acknowledged in accordance with publisher or institutional guidelines. Copying AI-generated content without proper citation constitutes plagiarism.

G.6.c. AI and Bias

Counseling researchers ensure that AI tools utilized in research have been tested for bias and accuracy, particularly when human participants are involved.