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Research involving humans must follow ethical standards to ensure that no human is harmed.  Sociological research although doesn’t harm the human just like scientific research,  it is still a mandate to follow the ethical standards and guidelines.  The most important ethical guidelines in sociological concerns privacy and confidentiality.  When you do research, you must protect the privacy and confidentiality of your participants.  In field research, anonymity must be maintained, and fake names must be used in the research report.

If you have used a survey method then the data must be coded anonymously.  This is done so as to avoid answers getting connected with the respondents who answered them.  Another ethical standard is consent. Before starting with the research you must obtain the consent from your participants.

For detailed explanation and example  refer https://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/savvy/images/asa/docs/pdf/CodeofEthics.pdf.

Consider this instance. Research on children requires parental consent.  All sociological research need an informed consent, and participants never coerced into participation.  Informed consent involves ensuring that prior to agreeing to participate, respondents are well-aware of the  details of the research including the benefits and risks of participation and the ways data is collected and used.