ABSTRACT
Rules or standards of ethical conduct govern each step of research processes. Whether required by an institution or suggested by a professional or academic society, standards of conduct are designed to protect the rights and welfare of subjects/participants. All research, particularly the type that involves humans and animals, is subject to review by a qualified body charged with protecting the subjects from cruel, harsh, or dangerous conditions. Many of the rules of research involving living beings were instituted as a result of unprincipled medical and behavioral research that was conducted on humans and vertebrate animals during wartime. As horrific details of past unchecked research became public (e.g., medical experimentation on prisoners and detainees), it became necessary to create a system that protected subjects and participants by imposing ethical and humane treatment of those involved. All institutions that require research of their faculty as well as many private organizations, companies, and other societies that conduct research have review boards that oversee the methods and analyses in the interest of shielding participants from harmful conditions.
