This collection of essays explores issues that often come into view in humanistic and social science research. A general introductory article discusses major challenges of practical research ethics appearing along the entire time span of a research undertaking. In the articles that follow, analyses departing from a variety of vantage points address key issues - such as protecting individual integrity, obtaining informed consent, exploring private and intimate arenas, doing research on weak groups, being caught between conflicting socio-political forces, seeking truth and validity of texts, studying crossroads of cultures, and assessing value structures underlying concerns of research ethics.