APPLYING ETHICS IN SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH: The ethical viewpoint as the backbone for social research

Ethics, as a practical element, infuses interest in the Social Work of people and their personal characteristics. It encourages the development of autonomy, restores the exercise of rights, and promotes people's human dignity. When transferred to the field social research, these objectives are reached by setting individuals at the center stage of the research activity, thereby directly promoting their participation in the process. Following this line, we present a social investigation articulated via a methodology developed according to the aforementioned ethical perspective. This study underscores the importance of our methodology's qualitative perspective, from the tools it uses to collect data, to its ability as a method to better approximate the actual reality of its protagonists. Our results suggest that participants view their collaboration in the research positively, as it provides them a step forward in gaining recognition for their abilities. Finally, it contributes further to the issue regarding the importance of understanding social reality from the point of view of its protagonists.