Ethics of Research

• Published in: Research Methods for Postgraduates pp. 46 - 55
• Main Author: Greenfield, Tony
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 08.09.2016
• Subjects: ethics; international agreements; legislation; local committee; regulatory authorities; research projects; scientific planning
• ISBN: 1118341465; 9781118341469
• DOI: 10.1002/9781118763025.ch5

This chapter talks about the ethics of well‐designed and well‐executed research; it is about honesty in analysis and reporting of results. The ethics of medical research have rightly demanded attention which has led to legislation, international agreements, regulatory authorities and local committees empowered to approve and monitor research projects. This emphasis, which arises from human concern, has extended to research about animals and the environment. There has been a lot of publicity and debate in all media about the ethics of research in these areas. Facts are sometimes distorted for political advantage. Pharmaceutical companies are naturally eager to conclude clinical trials quickly and favourably. Catch‐all data forms may have a semblance of thoroughness to the uninitiated, but they demonstrate a lack of forethought and an absence of scientific planning. A medical research ethics committee may have been misled by the protocol into believing that the study was well designed and would be well executed.