State of Ethical Issues in Published Literatures: A Non-Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Research ethics govern the standards of conduct for scientific researchers. It is important

to adhere to ethical principle to protect the dignity, rights and welfare of research participants. According

to ICMR National ethical guidelines for biomedical research involving human participants should be

conducted in accordance with the basic and general ethical principles. The researcher and the team are

responsible for protecting the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of the participants enrolled in the study.

They should have the appropriate qualifications and competence in research methodology and should be

aware of and comply with the scientific, medical, ethical, legal and social requirements of the research

proposal. All research involving human beings should be reviewed by an ethics committee to ensure that

the appropriate ethical standards are being upheld. The importance of ethics in clinical research has been

well-established for many decades. A growing attention is given to determine the best ethical practices for

conducting observational and experimental studies.

Methods: A non-systematic review was performed of existing published articles in three different journals

for normative ethics literature which includes Institutional ethical clearance, informed consent, assent and

voluntary participation of the study participants.

Results : A total of 315 articles published in 3 different journals between 2014 and 2018 demonstrated that

informed consent was obtained in 80% of articles and institutional ethical clearance was obtained in 88%

of articles.

Conclusions: Ethical conduct is important for any sphere of life in medical research and publication as they

directly affect the humanity. No research activity involving human subjects can be conducted and proceed

unless informed consent is completely sought.