Research ethics addresses the ethical principles and values applied to research. This includes ethical treatment of human and animal subjects, preventing misuse of research results, and addressing scientific misconduct. The key principles of research ethics are respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Respect for persons means respecting individual autonomy and protecting vulnerable populations. Beneficence means research should do no harm and maximize benefits while minimizing risks. Justice means fairness in who bears risks and benefits from research. Research ethics aims to ensure ethical and responsible conduct of research through guidelines, oversight bodies, and codes of conduct.

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What Is ResearchEthics?
Researchethics addresses the application of ethical principles or values to the various issues and
fields of research. This includes ethical aspects of the design and conduct of research, the way
human participants or animals within research projects are treated, whether research results may
be misused for criminal purposes and it refers also on aspects of scientific misconduct. Research
integrity is recognized as the attitude and habit of the researchers to conduct research according
to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks, obligations and standards. The fields of
research ethics and research integrity combine general ethical reflections, ethics and law as
academic disciplines addressing research activities, moral attitudes of researchers, normative
policies of stakeholders like sponsors or funding organizations, and various ethical expectations
of the civil society.
Research ethics – considered as the more generic concept – is likely to be one of the ethical sub-
disciplines that leads more and more to institutional arrangements and guidelines. The most well-
known in this regard are the research ethical guidelines for medical research. Based on central
declarations such as the Declaration of Helsinki and commission reports such as the Belmont
Report, these guidelines have shaped medical research practice not only in terms of content, but
also institutionally regarding professional law, the involvement of research ethics committees or
institutional review boards et. Beyond the implementation of those guidelines into the
infrastructure of research institutions, the guidelines of research funding need to comply with
ethical research standards. Therefore, funding organizations and scientific journals that are ready
to publish findings of research projects play an increasingly important role in the process of
implementing normative principles of research ethics. Nearly all research funding organizations
and sponsors commit researchers to agreed ethical rules, principles, and standards. The funders
conduct ethical reviews of research projects to care for a sustainable application of these norms.
At the same time, European Union research funding seeks not only to operationalize and develop
research ethical guidelines and principles, but also to react constructively to the national
differences between these norms. Since the legislation and organization referring to research ethics
differ in the Member States.
As part of the recent European practice, it can be shown that non-medical research with human
participants has a similar or comparable moral dimension to medical research, but less often

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equivalent precautions are available for a practice that appropriately addresses these ethical issues.
Although all research with human participants is subject to process of getting an informed consent
originally derived from the ethics of medical research, other procedural precautions such as the
review by an ethics committee are often not implemented outside medical research. Moreover, in
international comparison, the requirement for the ethical accompaniment of non-medical research
varies considerably.
Fundamental Principles of Research Ethics:
 Respect for Persons:
This principle incorporates two elements that deal with respecting people in regard to research:
People should be treated as autonomous
The term autonomous means that a person can make his or her own decisions about what to do
and what to agree to.
Researchers must respect that individuals should make their own informed decisions about
whether to participate in research. In order to treat people as autonomous, individuals must be
provided with complete information about a study and decide on their own whether to enroll.
People with diminished autonomy should be protected
Some people in society may not have the capacity to make fully informed decisions about what
they do or what happens to them. This could include young children, people who are very ill, or
those with mental disabilities. In such cases, these people should be protected and only be included
in research under specific circumstances, since they cannot make a true informed decision on their
own.
 Beneficence:

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The definition of beneficence is action that is done for the benefit of others. This principle states
that research should:
Do no harm
The purpose of health research is to discover new information that would be helpful to society.
The purpose of research should never be to hurt anyone or find out information at the expense of
other people.
Maximize benefits for participants and minimize risks for participants
The purpose of much research involving humans is to show whether a drug is safe and effective.
This means participants may be exposed to some harms or risks. Researchers are obligated to do
their best to minimize those possible risks and to maximize the benefits for participants.
 Justice:
This principle deals with the concept of fairness. Researchers designing trials should consider what
is fair in terms of recruitment of participants and choice of location to conduct a trial. This
encompasses issues related to who benefits from research and who bears the risks of research. It
provides the framework for thinking about these decisions in ways that are fair and equitable.
Some Ethics mentioned by David B. Resnik, J.D., Ph.D.
 Honesty
Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data, results, methods and
procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data. Do not deceive
colleagues, research sponsors, or the public.

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 Objectivity
Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review,
personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of research where
objectivity is expected or required. Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception. Disclose personal or
financial interests that may affect research.
 Integrity
Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought and
action.
 Carefulness
Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your own work and the
work of your peers. Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research
design, and correspondence with agencies or journals.
 Openness
Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.
 Respect for Intellectual Property
Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data,
methods, or results without permission. Give proper acknowledgement or credit for all
contributions to research. Never plagiarize.
 Confidentiality
Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for publication, personnel
records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.

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 Responsible Publication
Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance just your own career. Avoid
wasteful and duplicative publication.
 Responsible Mentoring
Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote their welfare and allow them to make their
own decisions.
 Respect for colleagues
Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.
 Social Responsibility
Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through research, public
education, and advocacy.
 Non-Discrimination
Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other
factors not related to scientific competence and integrity.
 Competence
Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong education
and learning; take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.
 Legality
Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.

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 Animal Care
Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct
unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.
 Human Subjects Protection
When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits;
respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy; take special precautions with vulnerable
populations; and strive to distribute the benefits and burdens of research fairly.
Thank You