ABSTRACT
The acquisition of evidence, through research or other means, must be carried out within the established principles of ethical conduct. This chapter looks at the reasons why research is required to meet ethical standards and how this relates to some of the less ethical studies that were undertaken in the past. Ethical research standards reflect the accepted position of research ethics at any one point in time. These standards may be identified by the various health professions, the research funding agencies and by global agencies such as the World Health Organisation. The research information pack needs to be thought-through carefully and trialled with people similar to the prospective participants before being submitted for approval to the Research Ethics Committee. Special care needs to be taken of information designed for children and the elderly. The Research Ethics Committee must approve plans to store data or biological material as part of the approvals process for research studies.
