ViDSS Research Ethics Forum: Doing Ethics in Practice
“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do”, Potter Stewart famously noted. But how to apply this adage to social science research ethics in general, and within the often-precarious conditions of PhD and early-career research in particular?
The ViDSS Research Ethics Forum is a platform for early career researchers (master students, PhDs and postdocs) to discuss ethical challenges and opportunities in their day-to-day work in a safe space and across social science disciplines. We will reflect on ethical challenges working with research participants, ethically challenging situations within research teams, or novel ethical questions that arise when using (novel) technologies in research. While there will be room to explore such ethical challenges on a broader scale, we will pay particular attention to such questions emerging research that involves minoritised or marginalised participants, interlocutors, and groups.
Format: topical group discussions, guest speaker talks with Q&As, open workshop on pressing ethical questions introduced by attending early career researchers (no sign-up or heads-up required), etc.
The ViDSS Research Ethics Forum is open to all early career researchers (master students, PhDs and postdocs) at the Faculty of the Social Sciences and will be held in German or English, depending on the group’s preferences. All are welcome. We meet twice in each term. Snacks will be provided. Bring a friend and let me know if you have any questions before you join!
Organiser: Magdalena Eitenberger
If you would like to participate and/or be added to the mailing list, please contact Magdalena Eitenberger
Next Meetings
Workshop: AI-Powered Tools for Literature Research for Pre- and Post-Docs
1 December 2025, 15:00–17:15
In this practice-oriented workshop, you have the possibility to try out various AI tools for academic literature research. These software applications leverage Artificial Intelligence to efficiently search and analyse scientific literature, and extract relevant information. With the help of these tools, you can track literature outputs over time and visualise them in innovative ways. However, using AI for literature searches also raises ethical challenges on both practical and research levels.
Join us as we discuss opportunities and challenges of these tools and reflect on their potential impact on future work in the social sciences. Discover which of such tools, if any, you could use in your research projects and/or include in grant applications.
This workshop is open to early career researchers (doctoral candidates and postdocs) at the Faculty of the Social Sciences.
We recommend bringing your laptop to participate in the practical exercises.
Speakers: Calvin Chen (Deputy Head, East Asian Studies Library), Anna Krenn (User Services, Team Teaching Library) and Elisabeth Svitil (Head. Biology and Botany Library)
Venue: Meeting Room of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences (Seminar Room 11) 1st floor, Kolingasse 14–16, 1090 Vienna
Registration: via u:rise until 24 November 2025
Past meetings
Research ethics in the context of new technologies: Opportunities and pitfalls of AI in research
5 June 2025, 15:00–17:00
Venue: Conference Room of the Faculty of Social Sciences (Room C628A), Staircase III, 6th Floor, Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna
Guest speaker: Matthias C. Kettemann
Researching (with) vulnerable, minoritised, and marginalised groups: Significance and challenges in the context of doctoral research
9 April 2025, 15:00–17:00
Researching the lived experiences of minoritised and marginalised groups – and conducting research with them – poses particular challenges around the positionality of the researcher, different options for community engagement, the “voice” of one’s narrative, and (anti-)extractive forms of research. Tobias Fragner will provide insights into his experiences leading the project COMITMENT (funded by the LBG OIS Center).
Guest speaker: Tobias Fragner
Format: Workshop starting with input by Tobias, followed by a Q&A and group discussion.
Venue: Conference Room of the Faculty of Social Sciences (Room C628A), Staircase III, 6th Floor, Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna