Ask what a wise and honest researcher would do. Good judgement, built through practice, matters where the rules run out.
Key thinkers: Aristotle, Alasdair MacIntyre, Rosalind Hursthouse
The longer story
Virtue ethics asks: what would a genuinely wise person do here? Not 'what's the rule?' or 'what produces the best outcome?' but 'what does integrity look like in this situation?' Aristotle's approach doesn't give you a checklist—it assumes you've cultivated practical wisdom through experience. This matters most in grey areas where guidelines run out. How honest should you be with participants? How much should you probe a painful topic? A person of good character navigates these questions; a person following rules mechanically gets lost. Research integrity isn't just compliance; it's who you are as an inquirer.