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21 – 30 of over 61000This paper aims to address issues of ethics and trust in a digital scholarship environment relating to: accuracy of data, integrity of scholarly research process, electronic…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to address issues of ethics and trust in a digital scholarship environment relating to: accuracy of data, integrity of scholarly research process, electronic publications and communications; intellectual property rights, confidentiality/privacy and data security. The paper raises such questions as: To what extent do faculty trust digital research process? How can trust be nurtured in a scholarly environment where research is undertaken wholly or in part electronically?
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on critical analysis of existing literature especially the theoretical models of ethics and trust drawn from across different disciplines such as marketing, psychology, management, and information systems.
Findings
Despite the increasing adoption of digital scholarship strategies among universities, ethics and trust issues are not being addressed. In order for digital scholarship to be effectively integrated within the institutional operational milieu and institutionalised, a number of interventions are required, such as: putting in place an e‐strategy; a research portal that facilitates data transfer; knowledge sharing, protocols of uploading content; open access standards; institutional repositories; e‐research librarians responsible for training, faculty and students re‐orientation; provision of digital curation services such as standards, software, and access cyber infrastructure.
Research limitations/implications
The subject of ethics and trust has hardly been researched in a digital scholarship environment. Consequently, there is limited literature on the subject. Empirical research is needed to address issues of trust and ethics in digital learning and research environment in order to leverage the proliferation of technology to optimise benefits for scholarly endeavours.
Practical implications
Institutions of higher learning, especially universities, must strive to integrate into their learning and research strategies ethical and trust aspects of digital scholarship to ensure that information and communication technologies that are implemented meet acceptable scholarly standards with regard to access, usability, productivity and more.
Social implications
Issues of ethics and trust have become more important than before because of the evolving knowledge economy and the pervasity of information and communication technology in society emanating from increased rollout of e‐government infrastructures throughout the world by governments.
Originality/value
The subject of ethics and trust has hardly been addressed in literature in the context of digital scholarship, yet more educational institutions the world over are moving toward embracing digital scholarship environments.
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As the LIS field is being restructured world‐wide, a survey of key institutions and relevant literature confirms that ethics and its information age derivative “infoethics” are…
Abstract
As the LIS field is being restructured world‐wide, a survey of key institutions and relevant literature confirms that ethics and its information age derivative “infoethics” are becoming important components of LIS research and teaching. LIS scholars and educators need to train students in value‐based skills appropriate for many information age challenges. In Europe LIS research and teaching will in addition need to adapt to the converging forces of the Bologna Agreement’s “European Higher Education Area”.
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Bernice Ibiricu and Marja Leena van der Made
This paper aims to provide a framework for a code of ethics related to digital and leading edge technologies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a framework for a code of ethics related to digital and leading edge technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed ethical framework is anchored in data protection legislation, and results from a combination of case studies, observed user behaviour and decision-making processes.
Findings
A concise and user-friendly ethical framework ensures the embedded code of conduct is respected and observed by all employees concerned.
Originality/value
An ethical framework aligned with EU data protection legislation is required.
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Maryam Nasser AL-Nuaimi, AbdelMajid Bouazza, Maher M. Abu-Hilal and Ali Al-Aufi
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development and validation of a self-report structured questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development and validation of a self-report structured questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The questionnaire was used to investigate university undergraduate students’ cognition, behavioural intent, and behaviour concerning the ethical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative correlational cross-sectional approach to data collection was used by administering a self-report questionnaire to a sample of 327 undergraduate students. To establish the construct validity of the questionnaire, internal consistency reliability and factorial analyses were performed.
Findings
Significant but different correlations between the constructs were under study. The behavioural intention had the greatest and most significant correlation with behaviour pertaining to information ethics. Overall, the scales, which constitute the instrument, showed acceptable indices of measurement validity.
Practical implications
The research implications of this paper shed light on the applicability of the TPB to the specific context in which this study was conducted. The results imply that the TPB framework can be extended and employed to understand better the influence of comprehending information-ethics concepts on the intentions and practices related to the ethical use of ICTs.
Originality/value
The paper has methodological value for researchers who seek to develop empirical instruments for measuring the factors that bear upon the attitudes and the behaviours related to information ethics. Furthermore, the paper has pedagogical value for students, teachers, and developers of information-ethics educational programmes at the tertiary level.
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There are numerous professional associations for librarians and libraries. A small proportion of these have promulgated codes of ethics. These codes of ethics vary along several…
Abstract
Purpose
There are numerous professional associations for librarians and libraries. A small proportion of these have promulgated codes of ethics. These codes of ethics vary along several dimensions. Often the code reflects the social, political, or professional mandate of its organization. This paper aims to address ethics codes and their functions in professional associations that have individuals as members.
Design/methodology/approach
It is suggested that for these organizations there are several different types of ethics codes. This paper addresses the four most common types. The oldest code (American Library Association), one of the newest (Association des Bibliothécaires Français), and two of a more average age (Canadian Library Association and Colegio de Bibliotecarios de Chile) are compared and considered in detail.
Findings
The paper finds that, while most library and information professionals share similar values, as reflected in their codes of ethics, the application of those codes varies widely.
Originality/value
The paper provides useful information on codes of ethics for libraries and librarians.
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The ethics of librarianship has become a topic of increasing interest since the mid‐1970s, as a series of scandals beginning with Watergate seemed to show serious weaknesses in…
Abstract
The ethics of librarianship has become a topic of increasing interest since the mid‐1970s, as a series of scandals beginning with Watergate seemed to show serious weaknesses in the ethical standards of lawyers and other professionals.
Mariam Al-Nuaimi, Ali Al-Aufi and Abdelmajid Bouazza
This paper aims to evaluate the literature dealing with the sociocultural influences on undergraduate students’ information ethics (IE) cognition and behaviour. Much of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the literature dealing with the sociocultural influences on undergraduate students’ information ethics (IE) cognition and behaviour. Much of the reviewed literature draws on the experiences of countries that differ in terms of cultural and economic aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
This structured review uses an integrative approach to synthesize the existing literature relevant to the factors in question. Correspondingly, limitations, agreements and disagreements within the relevant literature are indicated. A set of relevance criteria is developed, and analytical information for each study is then organized and summarized into aggregate findings.
Findings
Despite the significant explanatory power of the reciprocal correlation between individualism and economic wealth to predict declines in unethical information practices, IE studies persist in producing inconsistent findings in this regard. Thus, further facets of cross-cultural differences should be addressed beyond the individualistic/collectivistic typology.
Originality/value
This paper has pedagogical worth for students, researchers and developers of IE educational programs at the tertiary level. It also possesses methodological value for studying the sociocultural effects on the IE behaviour of computing professionals within the broader context of global IE research.
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Simon Rogerson, Keith W. Miller, Jenifer Sunrise Winter and David Larson
The purpose of this paper is to explore the ethical issues surrounding information systems (IS) practice with a view to encouraging greater involvement in this aspect of IS…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the ethical issues surrounding information systems (IS) practice with a view to encouraging greater involvement in this aspect of IS research. Information integrity relies upon the development and operation of computer-based information systems. Those who undertake the planning, development and operation of these information systems have obligations to assure information integrity and overall to contribute to the public good. This ethical dimension of information systems has attracted mixed attention in the IS academic discipline.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors are a multidisciplinary team providing a rich, diverse experience which includes professional and information ethics, management information systems, software engineering, data repositories and information systems development. Each author has used this experience to review the IS ethics landscape, which provides four complimentary perspectives. These are synthesised to tease out trends and future pointers.
Findings
It is confirmed that there is a serious lack of research being undertaken relating to the ethical dimension of the Information Systems field. There is limited crossover between the well-established multidisciplinary community of Computer Ethics research and the traditional Information Systems research community.
Originality/value
An outline framework is offered which could provide an opportunity for rich and valuable dialogue across the two communities. This is proposed as the starting point for a proactive research and practice action plan for information systems ethics.
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With the growth and profound influence of technology on our life, it is important to address the ethical issues inherent to the development and deployment of technology…
Abstract
Purpose
With the growth and profound influence of technology on our life, it is important to address the ethical issues inherent to the development and deployment of technology. Researchers and practitioners submit the need to inspect: how technology and ethics interact, how ethical principles regulate technology and what could be the probable future course of action to execute techno-ethical practices in a socio-technical discourse effectively. To address the thoughts related to techno-ethics, the authors of the present study conducted exploratory research to understand the trend and relevance of technology ethics since its inception.
Design/methodology/approach
The study collected over 679 documents for the period 1990–2022 from the Scopus database. A quantitative approach of bibliometric analysis was conducted to study the pattern of authorship, publications, citations, prominent journals and contributors in the subject area. VOS viewer software was utilized to visualize and map academic performance in techno-ethics.
Findings
The findings revealed that the concept of techno-ethics is an emerging field and requires more investigation to harness its relevance with everchanging technology development. The data revealed substantial growth in the field of techno-ethics in humanities, social science and management domain in the last two decades. Also, most of the prominent cited references and documents in the database tend to cover the theme of Artificial Intelligence, Big data, computer ethics, morality, decision-making, IT ethics, human rights, responsibility and privacy.
Originality/value
The article provides a comprehensive overview of scientific production and main research trends in techno-ethics until 2022. The study is a pioneer in expanding the academic productivity and performance of embedding ethics in technology.
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This paper aims to examine the present status of the research field intercultural information ethics (IIE) including the foundational debate as well as specific issues.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the present status of the research field intercultural information ethics (IIE) including the foundational debate as well as specific issues.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical overview of the recent literature of the field is given.
Findings
The present IIE debate focuses on a narrow view of the field leaving aside comparative studies with non‐digital media as well as with other epochs and cultures. There is an emphasis on the question of privacy but other issues such as online communities, governmentality, gender issues, mobile phones, health care and the digital divide are on the agenda.
Originality/value
The paper addresses basic issues of IIE that may open new vistas for research and practice in this field.
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