The topic of human subjects in medical and health related research has recently become an important issue.  Written standards for research ethics gained international attention during the late 1940's.  War crimes committed by Nazi physicians during World War II brought about a set of guidelines, the Nuremberg Code, that gave an outline for ethical behavior regarding human subjects.  More recently, the World Medical Association released a modified list of standards which researchers, internationally, are encouraged to follow.  The web links under this topic give examples of what several countries and organizations use as behavioral guides for human research.  National codes tend to follow the lead of international codes but may vary slightly between countries.

The Nuremberg Code  (http://plague.law.umkc.edu/Xfiles/x354.htm)
A copy of the conclusions drawn about research on human subjects at the Nuremberg Trials.  These are important guidelines for modern human research.

Declaration of Helsinki   (http://genome.eerie.fr/bioscience/guides/declhels.htm)
Standards set forth at the Helsinki conference by the World Medical Association.  These guidelines are in the same vein as the Nuremberg Code.

Human Subjects/Participants and Research Ethics    (http://www.psych.bangor.ac.uk/deptpsych/Ethics/HumanResearch.html)
An accumulation of links on research ethics for several United States government departments, universities and associations.

Human Subjects Review FAQ page   (http://www.css.edu/USERS/dswenson/web/FAQ.HTM)
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about research ethics and links to people who can answer other questions not addressed in the web page.

Bibliography of Human Research Articles    (http://plague.law.umkc.edu/Xfiles/x402.htm)
Bibliography of articles that deal with topics on human research ethics.  Provides journal article information only, not full articles.

NIH Guidelines of Human Subjects Research    (http://helix.nih.gov:8001/ohsr/guidelines.phtml)
National Institute of Health guidelines for human subjects research beginning with the Table of Contents.  This organization is one of the largest health information resources in the country.

National Health and Medical Research Council    (http://www.health.gov.au/nhmrc/ethics/contents.htm)
Ethical guidelines for research in Australia.  This is the governing body of human research in that country.

Code of Ethical Conduct   (http://wwwmrc.hc-sc.gc.ca/ethics/code/english/toc.html)
The entire code of ethics set forth by the cooperation of 3 advisory councils.  Topics include ethical framework, procedures, privacy and conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations - (DHHS)   (http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Research_Administration/OPRR/46index.html)
In this link, the department of Health and Human Services lists policies for Institutional Review Boards.  These committees govern the acceptance of proposals for research on human subjects.
 

Addition submitted by Laura Luth, Fall, 1998:

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN IN RESEARCH
(http://www.nih.gov.80/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html)
NIH issued new policies and guidelines on the inclusion of children as participants involving human subjects.
 

Return to class readings page:  Kinesiology 493: Philosophy of Kinesiology