Why is ethical review needed for research involving humans?
Awareness of the need for ethical codes in research stems in large part from the evidence of the horrendous medical experiments conducted by the Nazis during the Second World War and the findings of the Nuremberg military tribunal on war crimes. In Australia the National Health and Medical Research Council has taken responsibility for developing a code of ethics in research. In 1999, following a wide-ranging process of consultation including the learned Academies, the NHMRC, in conjunction with the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, issued a set of national guidelines on ethics in human research. These guidelines, the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans, were tabled in federal Parliament in July 1999 and are intended to cover all disciplines. The primary purpose of the National Statement is the protection of the welfare and rights of participants in research. The National Statement mandates the establishment of human research ethics committees to rev
