Ethics In Research Ethics

Code of ethics serves as the moral compass that directs and guides the integrity, values, and beliefs of an organization. A code of ethics clarifies to employees what the company stands for and its expectations for employee conduct (Daft, 2013). A well-written code is a true commitment to responsible business practices in that it outlines specific procedures to handle ethical failures. Within the research enterprise, the code of ethics ensures that research projects involving human subjects are carried out without causing harm to the subjects involved. Research ethics also ensure researchers conduct research in an ethical manner. This paper will focus on the regulations and guidelines that govern ethics in research, a study where research ethics were violated and recommendations to improve ethics within the research enterprise.

The research enterprise is comprised of research organizations (i.e., academic health centers, federal government), researchers, human volunteers, and stakeholders (i.e., health insurers, health care systems and consumers. To understand the nuances of the research enterprise, one must know the meaning of research. Research means a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge (45 Code of Federal Regulations 46.102(d)). This is the foundation of the research enterprise, to produce knowledge valuable for understanding human disease, preventing and treating illness, and promoting health. This knowledge can be used to develop new innovative concepts that can lead to scientific breakthroughs, the creation of new knowledge, the formation of new health and research policy, the development of innovative new pr...

... middle of paper ...

... action (Elliston, 1985). Peter Buxtun worked for the Public Health Service. While working there, he discovered proper medical treatment was being withheld from poor, black syphilis patients so that they could conduct experimental medical treatments on these patients. In 1972, Peter Buxtun went outside of the Public Health Services to expose this violation of human subjects. He made the decision that expose this mistreatment of human subjects, to the Associated Press, who later published the story. Even though whistleblowing considered as “snitching”, Peter Buxtun decided exposing this violation was the only way to right the horrific wrong of mistreating and harming human subjects. “For 40 years, the U.S. Public Health Service has conducted a study in which human guinea pigs, not given proper treatment, have died of syphilis and its side effects” (Perkiss, 2013).