ABSTRACT
Whether called institutional review boards (IRBs), human subjects committees, research ethics committees, or research ethics boards (REBs), such groups are very important. They review research proposals for potentially harmful impacts on research participants (social, psychological, emotional, physical) and advise researchers about required changes in procedures before research may begin. Such groups pay special attention to human subjects such as children, prisoners, pregnant women, mentally disabled persons, and the economically or educationally disadvantaged who might be unduly coerced or influenced to participate. The Belmont Report summarizes three ethical principles that must underlie all U.S. research with individuals: “respect for persons,” “beneficence,” and “justice.” These principles are also evident in United Kingdom and Canadian policies. Yet the principles are not easy to apply, as excerpts from published social research reviewed in this chapter illustrate. Before discussing policy details about how human subjects must be protected, several excerpts from published research are presented that illustrate key ethics issues and how they were managed by each researcher. At the end of each ethics excerpt is one or two questions. The chapter asks the reader to make a few notes about the researcher’s management of that issue—do you agree or disagree and how?
