Ethical dilemmas in research

I just finished writing the second empirical chapter for my thesis and it has certainly been the most difficult chapter so far – in terms of emotionally for me to write, not practically. The reason it is the most difficult chapter so far is because it is the most controversial chapter so far. Luckily, it is not only the most controversial chapter so far but the most controversial chapter overall, meaning there will hopefully not be any more difficulties to this extent.

I can’t really go into too much detail at the moment; you’re just gonna have to wait for a publication I’m afraid. Suffice it to say that I am addressing HIV stigma in this second chapter…

Who knew research could be so emotionally difficult? Oh wait, I researched sexual abuse previously. That’s right. I ought to know.

Anyway, I’ve got a holiday coming up so I’m putting thesis writing on hold for a while. Also, my back’s given up on me. Again The first time my back revolted was in mid 2009 in the midst of writing my MRes dissertation. I got my first computer in 1993 (for my 10th birthday). I have been a heavy internet/computer user since 1999. I think my back did well for keeping quiet for 10 years! Anyway, I’ve been typing my second chapter while standing up (I put a box on my desk to raise my laptop) or lying down on the couch. Neither techniques worked that well. The pain is still there, albeit slightly less, but my shoulders are rather unhappy now. Dah I’m calling the GP tomorrow…

Thesis coming together

And the thesis is underway… I think.

28 months (out of supposedly 36) into my PhD I finally started writing! I mean, I’ve been writing before. I tried to write as much as I could before having any data, i.e., before I went to South Africa; I wrote my first three chapters (Introduction, Literature Review, and Methods) before heading to SA. Upon my return I added the fieldwork to my Methods chapter and thereafter my empirical chapters and the discussion was waiting.

After three months of data analysis and chapter outline development, I finally started writing on my first empirical chapter – Chapter 4 – on Mon 23 Jan 2012. Yesterday, on Sat 4 Feb 2012, after 13 days, I submitted the completed chapter to my supervisors for feedback. Basically, I wrote a 15,000 word PhD thesis chapter in 13 days (I had given myself a month). Needless to say I’m stoked.

Obviously I can’t divulge too much information about the chapter at this stage; suffice it to say that it addresses issues of control in relation to HIV/AIDS treatment and death prevention.

Tomorrow I will begin on my second empirical chapter – Chapter 5 – which will address the issue of stigma. Thereafter, there are two more empirical chapters to come – Chapters 6 and 7 – as well as my discussion chapter – Chapter 8. If I remind my supervisors that I still have the IES-R and the RRPQ data to also incorporate into my thesis, they might bite my head off.

To even think I was worried I may not have enough to say in my thesis… The rational part of me knew this wouldn’t be an issue; I had the same concerns when writing my MRes dissertation and I still went over the word limit by 400 words back then. This time around I had set myself the goal of writing 4 chapters x 10,000 words each. Yeah. Anyway…