# The meaning of ethical collaborative research according to young people

## TL;DR

This study explores how young people define ethical collaborative research and highlights their potential to drive social change through moral reasoning.

## Contribution

The study introduces young people's unique perspectives on ethical collaborative research and their capacity for moral reasoning.

## Key findings

- Young people offer creative and novel views on ethical collaborative research.
- Engaging youth in ethical discussions can foster moral awareness and social change.
- Youth are capable of formulating arguments on ethically significant research issues.

## Abstract

Incorporating the perspectives of young people regarding their perspectives on ethical collaborative research may enrich our current understanding of ethical practices within such research, as young people are capable of providing creative, innovative and novel perspectives that otherwise remain unknown to the adult academic establishment. Youth, Ethics & Participation (YEP), a qualitative study conducted as part of the Health CASCADE project, aimed at engaging young people around the nature and meaning of ethics within collaborative research while developing moral awareness. Young people shared their perspectives on the meaning of ethical collaborative research, while showing their interest and ability of moral reasoning through the formulation of arguments explaining their position on a variety of ethically salient issues within collaborative research. The current study indicates that the engagement of young people in collaborative research is a potential source for instigating social change through their engagement in moral reasoning.