Fundamental ethical values are shared across research domains—for example, honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, minimizing suffering, seeking social benefit, good stewardship of resources and respecting persons and communities. But what is specifically required to uphold those values may differ from one type of research to another.
Whether one is seeking resources for a class or journal club discussion, or simply interested in exploring ethical issues more deeply, the resources categorized here may be helpful. They provide a foundation for thinking about the design and conduct of research in a variety of fields using a range of research methods. They may help to answer questions or be used to spark discussion.
Key books and articles on research ethics:
- Authorship
- Biological and Health-related Research
- Bulger RE, Heitman E, Reiser SJ. (2020). The ethical dimensions of the biological and health sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Murphy TF. (2004). Case studies in biomedical research ethics. MIT Press.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Gene drives on the horizon: advancing science, navigating uncertainty, and aligning research with public values. National Academies Press.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Researchers Need to Rethink and Justify How and Why Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry Labels Are Used in Genetics and Genomics Research, Says New Report, March 14, 2023.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2010). New Directions: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology and Emerging Technologies.
- Community-based and Community-engaged Research
- Computing, Digital, and Information Technologies
- Chameau JL, Ballhaus WF, Lin H, editors. (2014). Emerging and readily available technologies and national security: a framework for addressing ethical, legal, and societal issues. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
- Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. (2009). Ensuring the integrity, accessibility, and stewardship of research data in the digital age. National Academies Press.
- The Future of Research Communications and e-Scholarship, Force11.org. Guiding principles for findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable data publishing version B1.0
- Slaon SS, Rapporteurs JA. (2019). Data matters: ethics, data, and international research collaboration in a changing world: proceedings of a workshop. National Academies Press.
- Defense, Dual Use, and Weapons Research
- Forge J. (2012). Designed to kill: The case against weapons research. Springer Science & Business Media.
- Forge J. (2019). The Morality of Weapons Research: Why it is Wrong to Design Weapons. Springer.
- Himes KR. (2015). Drones and the ethics of targeted killing. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Miller S, Selgelid MJ. (2008). Ethical and Philosophical Consideration of the Dual-Use Dilemma in the Biological Sciences, Springer.
- Engineering Research and Robotics
- Arenberg CR, Hollander R, editors. (2009). Ethics Education and Scientific and Engineering Research: What's Been Learned? What Should Be Done? Summary of a Workshop. National Academies Press.
- Center for Engineering Ethics and Society (CEES) at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
- Lin P, Abney K, Bekey GA. (2014). Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
- Müller VC, editor. (2017). Philosophy and theory of artificial intelligence. Springer; (Part of the Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics book series (SAPERE, volume 44).
- Online Ethics Center (OEC) for Engineering and Science
- Education Research
- Environmental, Geological, and Sustainability Research
- Acevedo RD, Frías RM, editors. (2018). Geoethics in Latin America. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Gundersen LC, editor. (2017). Scientific integrity and ethics in the geosciences. John Wiley & Sons.
- Nuffield Council on Bioethics. (2011). Biofuels: ethical issues. Report and consensus statement.
- Historical and Contemporary Ethical Violations in Research
- Dubner, SJ. (2024). Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped? Freakonomics Radio.
- Dubner, SJ. (2024). Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? Freakonomics Radio.
- Jones JH. (1993). Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Free Press, New York.
- Koepsell D. (2016). Scientific integrity and research ethics: an approach from the ethos of science. Springer.
- Lederer SE. (1995). Subjected to science. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2011). "Ethically Impossible" STD Research in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948.
- The Nuremberg Code (1947).
- Human Subjects Research / Clinical Research
- 45 Code of Federal Regulation 46. Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects ('Common Rule' revised regulatory text).
- Emanuel EJ, et al. (2003). Ethical and regulatory aspects of clinical research: readings and commentary.
- King NM, Henderson G, Stein J, editors. (1999). Beyond regulations: ethics in human subjects research. UNC Press Books.
- Emanuel EJ, Grady CC, Crouch RA, Lie RK, Miller FG, Wendler DD, editors. (2008). The Oxford textbook of clinical research ethics. Oxford University Press.
- Department of Health and Human Services. US Government. Human Subject Regulations Decision Charts.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research: Clinical Trials in Developing Countries Report and Recommendations.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research: Clinical Trials in Developing Countries Commissioned Papers.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants Report and Recommendations.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants Commissioned Papers.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (1998). Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity Report and Recommendations.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (1999). Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity Commissioned Papers.
- National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont Report.
- The Nuremberg Code. (1947).
- Office of Human Research Protections Lectures
- Past Events
- Luminaries Lecture Series [Recorded presentations on a range of research-related issues]
- Human Research Volunteer Informational Videos [Videos providing potential participants basic information about human research]
- Revised Common Rule Educational Materials
- OHRP Webinars on 45 CFR 46
- Exploratory Workshops [Explorations of topics of interest which hinge on the Federal regulations on human subjects protection]
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2013). Anticipate and Communicate: Ethical Management of Incidental and Secondary Findings in the Clinical, Research, and Direct-to-Consumer Contexts.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2011). Moral Science: Protecting Participants in Human Subjects Research.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2013). Safeguarding Children: Pediatric Medical Countermeasure Research.
- Resnik DB. (2018). The ethics of research with human subjects: protecting people, advancing science, promoting trust. Springer.
- Vanderpool HY, editor. (1996). The ethics of research involving human subjects: facing the 21st century. University Publishing Group, Frederick, Maryland.
- World Medical Association. (2013). The Declaration of Helsinki (1964-2002) The World Medical Association's statement of ethical principles to provide guidance to physicians and other participants in medical research involving human subjects. Amended 2013.
- International Reports and Guidelines
- Laboratory Research
- Nonhuman Animal Research
- Gilbert S, Kaebnick GE, and TH Murray, eds., (2012). Animal Research Ethics: Evolving Views and Practices, Hastings Center Special Report 42, no. 6: S1–S40.
- Gluck JP, DiPasquale T, Orlans FB, editors. (2002). Applied ethics in animal research: philosophy, regulation, and laboratory applications. Purdue University Press.
- Lauwereyns J. (2018). Rethinking the Three R's in Animal Research: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement. Springer.
- Nuffield Council on Bioethics. (2005). The ethics of research involving animals. Report and consensus statement.
- Turner TR, Wagner JK, Cabana GS. (2018). Ethics in Biological Anthropology. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 165, no. 4: 939–951.
- Research Ethics (General)
- Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy; Policy and Global Affairs. 2009. On Being a Scientist : A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
- Erwin E, Gendin S, Kleiman L, editors. (1994). Ethical issues in scientific research: An anthology. Routledge.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. (2017). Fostering integrity in research : a consensus study report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine.
- Oliver P. (2010). The student's guide to research ethics. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
- Salkind NJ. (2011). 100 questions (and answers) about research methods. Sage.
- Stewart Jr CN. (2011). Research ethics for scientists: a companion for students. John Wiley & Sons.
- Responsible Conduct of Research
- Comstock G. (2012). Research ethics: a philosophical guide to the responsible conduct of research. Cambridge University Press.
- Gunsalus, CK. (2006). The college administrator's survival guide. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674023154.
- Gunsalus, CK. (2012). The young professional's survival guide: from cab fares to moral snares. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
- Integrity in Scientific Research Video Series
- Macrina FL. (2014). Scientific integrity: Text and cases in responsible conduct of research. John Wiley & Sons.
- On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition (2009)
- Professional Ethics Report (PER) Archives
- Seadle M. (2016). Quantifying Research Integrity. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers.
- Shamoo AE, Resnik DB. (2009). Responsible conduct of research. Oxford University Press.
- US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Research Integrity
- Social Science, Social Media, and Qualitative Research
- Crowder JW, Fortun M, Besara R, Poirier L. (2020) Anthropological data in the digital age. Springer International Publishing: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hammersley M, Traianou A. (2012). Ethics in qualitative research: controversies and contexts. Sage.
- Iphofen R, editor. (2017). Finding common ground: consensus in research ethics across the social sciences. Emerald Group Publishing.
- Iphofen R, Tolich M, editors. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research ethics. Sage.
- Israel M, Hay I. (2006). Research ethics for social scientists. Sage.
- Miller T, Birch M, Mauthner ML, Jessop J, (2012). Ethics in qualitative research. Sage.
- Mertens DM, Ginsberg PE, editors. (2009). Social research ethics. Sage.
- Qualitative Data Sharing. (2023). Qualitative Data Sharing (QDS) Toolkit.
- Wiles R. (2012). What are qualitative research ethics? A&C Black.
- Woodfield K, editor. (2017). The ethics of online research. Emerald Group Publishing.
- US Government Reports and Regulations
- 45 Code of Federal Regulation 46. Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects ('Common Rule' revised regulatory text).
- Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). US Government. Human Subject Regulations Decision Charts.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research: Clinical Trials in Developing Countries Report and Recommendations
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research: Clinical Trials in Developing Countries Commissioned Papers
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants Report and Recommendations.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (2001). Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants Commissioned Papers.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (1998). Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity Report and Recommendations.
- National Bioethics Advisory Commission. (1999). Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity Commissioned Papers.
- National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont Report.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2013). Anticipate and Communicate: Ethical Management of Incidental and Secondary Findings in the Clinical, Research, and Direct-to-Consumer Contexts.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2011). Moral Science: Protecting Participants in Human Subjects Research.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2010). New Directions: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology and Emerging Technologies.
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. (2013). Safeguarding Children: Pediatric Medical Countermeasure Research.