Following the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Nuremberg Medical Study, the United States Congress passed the National Research Act in 1974. The Act established the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences to monitor and regulate the use of human experiments, and defined requirements for Institutional Review Committees (IRBs). Therefore, all institutions that receive federal research funding must establish and maintain an IRB, an independent body of trained researchers that reviews research plans involving human subjects to ensure ethical standards are met. An institution`s IRB must approve all research involving human subjects before it is undertaken. Regulations governing the operation of the IRB are published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers need to clarify the degree of safety and accuracy that distinguishes their research results. They must be particularly meticulous in clarifying the relative certainty and scope of their results. In addition to critical and contextual presentation of knowledge, researchers should strive to highlight risk and uncertainty factors that may be important for the interpretation and possible application of research findings. Conveying the relative certainty and validity of knowledge is part of a researcher`s ethical responsibility and efforts to achieve objectivity. Where possible, researchers should also use appropriate methods to demonstrate the uncertainty of the research. Research institutes are required to teach these methods to their employees and students. A morality or ethos is understood as a set of rules of action (norms).

Ethics, a scientific sub-discipline of philosophy, is the critical evaluation of different moral concepts. There are many morals (for example, the ethics of doctors, the ethics of lawyers, etc.), but only one ethics; However, the latter should not obscure the fact that there is no agreement among ethicists on the correct criteria for this evaluation (see Bioethics: examples from the life sciences). Scientific ethics is similar to ethics in our society at large: it promotes rational behavior and effective cooperation between individuals. Although violations of scientific ethics occur, as in society in general, they are usually dealt with quickly when identified and help us understand the importance of ethical behavior in our professional practice. Respect for scientific ethics ensures that the data collected during research is reliable and that interpretations are reasonable and meaningful, allowing a scientist`s work to become part of growing scientific knowledge. When most people think of ethics (or morality), they think of rules for distinguishing right from wrong, such as the Golden Rule (“Treat others as you want them to do unto you”), a code of conduct such as the Hippocratic Oath (“First, do no harm”), a religious creed such as the Ten Commandments (“Thou shalt not kill… “), or wise aphorisms such as the words of Confucius. This is the most common way of defining “ethics”: norms of behaviour that distinguish acceptable behaviour from unacceptable behaviour. After considering these questions, a person facing an ethical dilemma may decide to ask more questions, gather more information, explore different options, or consider other ethical rules.

At some point, however, he or she will have to make a decision and then act. Ideally, a person who makes a decision in an ethical dilemma should be able to justify their decision to themselves, as well as to their colleagues, directors and others who may be affected by the decision. He should be able to explain the reasons for his behaviour and should ask himself the following questions to explain how he arrived at his decision: 7 Researchers must comply with established national and international rules and regulations to protect ethical and safety interests. Most people learn ethical norms at home, school, church, or other social contexts. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong in childhood, moral development takes place throughout life and people go through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical standards are so pervasive that one might be tempted to dismiss them as mere common sense. On the other hand, if morality was nothing more than common sense, why are there so many conflicts and ethical problems in our society? Researchers have long maintained an informal system of ethics and guidelines for conducting research, but documented ethical guidelines were not developed until the mid-twentieth century, after a series of high-profile ethical violations and war crimes. Scientific ethics now refers to a standard of behavior for scientists, which is generally divided into two broad categories (Bolton, 2002). First, methodological and process standards address the design, procedures, data analysis, interpretation and reporting of research efforts. Second, the subject and outcome standards address the use of human and animal subjects in research and the ethical implications of certain research results. Together, these ethical standards help guide scientific research and ensure that research efforts (and researchers) adhere to several fundamental principles (Resnik, 1993), including: Impact and benefits are an extension of the philosophy of scientific freedom.

In particular, the effects and benefits depend on possible treatments and remedies that could be derived from gene therapy research. Fletcher and Anderson argue that medical science, and therefore scientists conducting research, have a moral obligation to provide the best possible treatments [2]. This argument is particularly strong when comparing somatic cell gene therapy and germ cell gene therapy. Once germ cell gene therapy advances to the point where it is common in medicine, somatic cell gene therapy will no longer be necessary [3]. Diseases that would have required treatment with somatic cell gene therapy would have been prevented by germ cell gene therapy performed at the time of fertilization or in an earlier generation. In other words, a child who was treated before conception or whose parents were treated with germ cell gene therapy may never need to be treated. Thus, a child who has suffered from the disease or its treatment will never know that a potential problem may have existed. There are many reasons why ethical standards in research are important. First, standards promote research objectives, such as knowledge, truth and error prevention. For example, prohibiting the manufacture, falsification or distortion of research data promotes truth and minimizes errors. Here are some steps researchers like Dr.

Wexford can take to address ethical dilemmas in research: Dr. T`s mistake is not wrongdoing, nor is his decision not to take action to correct the error. Most researchers, as well as many different guidelines and codes, would say that Dr. T should inform the journal (and all co-authors) of the error and consider publishing a correction or errata. Not publishing a correction would be unethical, as it would violate standards of honesty and objectivity in research. An example of the moral problems associated with the production of scientific knowledge can be seen in the field of human experiments in medical research and other medical scientific disciplines (especially in the field of psychology); Recent discussions focus on animal experiments or genetic interventions in the genome of humans, animals, plants and microorganisms to learn more about genetics. Moral issues related to the application of scientific knowledge and the responsibility of the scientists involved are now discussed in almost every field of modern science, especially since the “Manhattan Project” (the construction of the atomic bomb by American physicists). c) Researchers do not locate part of their research in other countries in order to achieve lower ethical or safety standards. A plausible explanation for these disagreements is that all people recognize certain common ethical norms, but interpret, apply and balance them in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences.