REVIEW article
Front. Res. Metr. Anal.
Sec. Research Methods
This article is part of the Research TopicIndigenous Research Methodologies and Research at the InterfaceView all 6 articles
Ethical Dilemmas in Narrative Research: A Review Informed by Eastern Wisdom Traditions
Provisionally accepted
Rejina K.C
Niroj Dahal*- Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal
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Narrative research is intended to explore human experiences. However, there are ethical dilemmas that challenge researchers beyond formal protocols. This review examines 16 empirical studies (2014–2023) alongside insights from Eastern wisdom traditions and draws on the experiences of three university faculty members who have employed narrative inquiry methodology in their graduate-level research to explore ethical dilemmas and its challenges. Key recurring identified dilemmas include navigating informed consent, ensuring anonymity/confidentiality, managing power dynamics, mitigating emotional vulnerability, and respecting cultural sensitivity. The findings feature that ethical integrity relies on continuous reflexivity, relational ethics, and trust-building—principles reflected in Eastern concepts such as Dharma (i.e., righteous duties) and Karma (i.e., selfless actions). The study emphasizes the importance of context-sensitive ethical practices that prioritize participant dignity and the researcher's integrity. The article landed by offering the implications of creating discipline-specific guidelines, providing ongoing ethical training, and promoting collaborative learning among researchers to enhance the trustworthiness of qualitative research in general and narrative research in particular.
Keywords: Ethical dilemmas, narrative research, relational ethics, reflexivity, Eastern philosophy
Received: 29 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 K.C and Dahal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Niroj Dahal
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