Do you believe that it's OK to publish research studies if the results would offend some demographic group?

Question

Especially if the group is a "historically disadvantage minority"?

Assuming that the studies were performed using sound professional methods (e.g. without prejudices on the part of the researchers).

For example, a study that finds difference in academic ability based on race or s*x.

Answer 1

Of course it is OK . Facts are facts . Simply stated and without discrimination or ridicule , it's merely the results of a research study . Nothing more , nothing less .

Answer 2

The purpose of research studies is to learn and gather information. That information is useless if not made available for scrutiny, therefore if the study isn't published the research was wasted.

Answer 3

I don't understand why someone have to be offended. This is science not politics.

I was astounded when I understood the blacks have been offended when a research of a Canadian doctor have been piblished - that many of the blacks can't form stable families because of how they lived thousands of years in Africa. The author explained the FACT that many of the blacks live in families without fathers with the conditions in Africa where the males haven't been responsible for feeding their families and females could easily find food in the warm climate. On the other side Whites and Asians evolved in a very cold climate where the males had been forced to provide their families with food in order to survive.

As I said a normal research with very interesting observations but some blacks in USA began screaming Rascism! White oppresion and other things.

Answer 4

yes

As they say, that's the brakes kid.  They already know they just don't like that it's found to be true.

However I'd like to point out that some studies have been entirely misconstrued.  

Say we have a study that shows that those of german descent have a higher scientific abillity on average.  Well the media is likely to spin in wrongly and say that only germans are good scientists because it fits into their 30second sound bite.  But that's rubbish.  The study we posited just said those of german descent, on average, were good scientists.  It doesn't say that those of other races then were horrible scientists or that those scientists of other races weren't great at science themselves.

Answer 5

Yeah, but you have to be careful in how they are worded. If it was found emprically, it's not discriminatory.

Answer 6

Research is just the compiling of information.  I would publish whatever I studied as long as I was sure that my info was accurate and could withstand scrutiny.

Answer 7

Research is research and we need the data from them to learn, to inform and to institute ways of change or to progress. Someone is always going to be offended or disagree. It is our responsibly to take the findings and create an outcome from that research to improve the life's of those effected most.

Answer 8

Research is research, the restults come from helpfully lots of diffrent facts all joined together to get an unbias result!!  So the answers are facts based on those results!!

So all results should be published regardless.  It is near impossible to not upset someone when doing research.  

The answers speak for themselves!

Answer 9

absolutely.

Answer 10

If we find hiding truth to be acceptable, we are in trouble. Oh yeah, we ARE in trouble.

Answer 11

Of course it's OK to publish any research.  One just needs to be prepared for the responses.