feel obliged to participate, either because information is coming from their carer that they trust and depend on, or, because they feel grateful for the care they are receiving.15 Another conflicting issue is that giving information to patients is accepted as a major role of the nurse; but if for the sake of a research, nurses have to withhold information, this may create conflicts when they have to decide whether to participate or not.40 Hurst suggests that if nurses cannot tell patients about the true research objectives, they should provide a full explanation at the end of data collection.45 Provided, of course, that a supervisor body has decided that disclosure should not be full in order not to invalidate the research outcome. Consent, can however, be a major ethical issue for nurses when it involves persons with diminished autonomy, such as children, aged, mentally ill etc. Nurses should ascertain that consent has been obtained either from the individual, when possible, or, by relatives or guardians. They must also protect the dignity and privacy of such groups who are more vulnerable to loss of dignity and privacy. Nurses taking part in research on children should be alert, in order to notice any verbal or non verbal dissent which warrants exclusion of the child from the study (even if this creates conflicts with the researcher.46 In the same prospect, nurses must act as advocates when vulnerable groups are used in research, and not prevent it. According to Levine, restricting these groups from research could end in disadvantaging those populations, even further, especially when research involves no risk and a high potential for benefit.20 Researcher role conflict With regard to nurse researchers, the International Council of Nurses declares that they are not responsible for the care of patients. They should only intervene in case that "a harmful situation appears imminent". This statement is not congruent with the culture of nursing which is "intertwined with the ethic of caring".3 The commitment of nurses to caring, may create dilemmas according to the conflict between the researcher's and clinician's role. If a researcher nurse provides physical or psychological care during an interview, the results will be biased and generalisation will be difficult.5 HEALTH SCIENCE JOURNAL ® VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1 (2011) What are the Major Ethical Issues in Conducting Research? Is there a Conflict between the Research Ethics and the Nature of Nursing? pp: 3-14 E-ISSN:1791-809X www.hsj.gr Health Science Journal® All Rights Reserved 12 Another issue raised from the ICN statement, is to determine when a "harmful situation appears imminent" and the intervention of the researcher is required.26 The declaration of Helsinki says that the interest of the individual should prevail over the interests of society of science.3 This can solve some of the ethical dilemmas of the nurse, but in case the situation is not lifethreatening, the conflict remains. Burns and Grove suggest that in case that support from the researcher is required, then, it should be given, but the subjects should be excluded from the research.5 They also recommend that another alternative, is to seek help in other professionals to proceed with the data collection. Nevertheless, most health professionals, no matter how skilled they are in supportive techniques will provide some care if they feel that it is needed in a certain case. Conclusion Ethical issues, conflicting values, and ambiguity in decision making, are recurrently emerging from literature review on nursing research. Because of lack of clarity in ethical standards, nurses must develop an awareness of these issues and an effective framework to deal with problems involving human rights. This is necessary in order to come into terms with the issue of the researcher's values relative to the individual's rights versus the interests of society. Professional codes, laws, regulations, and ethics committees can provide some guidance but the final determinant of how research is performed, rests with the researcher's value system and moral code. To prepare future nurses, ethics in research, must receive special attention in nursing curricula. The criticism and uncertainties that arise, should be rather encouraged than suppressed in nursing