Can ethical guidelines be international?: Students’ dilemmas researching education in China and India

Research students in Education are advised to comply with UK-based ethical guidelines, such as those of BERA. This compliance is enforced through the ethical guidelines of their own institutions for conducting research projects and at thesis examination or viva. Whilst students from China and India have formed the largest percentage of international students in UK Higher Education (HESA, 2008), attention has yet to be drawn to the appropriateness and sufficiency of UK-based ethical guidelines in international contexts like China and India. Applying UK ethical guidelines in their own countries, students may encounter a range of ethical dilemmas, additional or culture-specific, to those envisaged for the UK. Can ethical guidelines from one country be applied in other countries? In other words, can ethical guidelines be international