Deception in research is unethical because the spirit of research requires a high moral standard. Medical ethics has reiterated the importance of integrity and justice, and the protection of the participant should always be of the utmost concern.

Why is deception an ethical issue?

Deception research is an ethical dilemma in itself. Deception in research entails that participants are not fully informed of the purpose of the study. Valuable insight can also be obtained in this way into factors which would never be discovered if all factors and aspects were obvious to the study participants.

Why can running deception studies be considered unethical?

Deception may result in more suspicious or contaminated pools of research participants. ... Psychological discomfort resulting from deception is viewed as a regrettable but defensible cost given the knowledge that will be gained by both the researcher and participants.