Children in Scientific Research

The Ethics of Research with Children
A training module that uses scenarios and other methods to raise questions and ethical ambiguities in the use of children as research subjects.
Ethical Issues in Longitudinal Research with At-Risk Children and Adolescents
A study is to be conducted with students in grades 4 - 8, the principal agrees to allow students to participate in the study, but says they do not need the parents' permission.
Complex Concerns
A pharmaceutical company is developing a long-term therapeutic trial study of an anti viral compound for children with AIDS. What are the ethical considerations in using children for clinical trials?
Ethical Issues in Research with Children
How should a research study on asthma be designed when the participants are adolescents?
Key Issues in the Ethics of Research With Children
Key ethical issues that arise in conducting research with children; including research without direct benefit, parental rights versus assent, and harm from overprotection.
Ethics in the Science Classroom: Lesson 6, Low Birthweight Infants
Does society have the obligation to provide whatever medical care and other aid is technically feasible to treat a child born with a birth defect or other special needs, regardless of cost?
An Asthmatic Child
A scenario meant to stimulate discussion regarding ethical issues in conducting research with children: Parents approach you to ask if their child can be enrolled in a study.
A Child's Question.
A scenario about a child who is enrolled in a nontherapuetic study who asks whether the IV he is about to recieve is necessary to make him better.
Part I and Part II,Explanation of Federal Regulations (45CFR46) on research with human subjects,.
Reading Questions for the Federal Regulations on research with human subjects.

Relevant Web Resources

Will open a new browser window

National Bioethics Advisory Commission Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants
Includes a summary, appendices, commissoned papers and staff analysis.
DOE's Radiation Research Using Human Subjects
The Roadmap summarizes the Department's search for records about government conducted or sponsored Cold War human radiation experiments.
Guidelines for the Conduct of Research Involving Human Subjects at the National Institutes of Health
All of the topics covered in the Guidelines apply to the conduct of clinical research; clinical research, however, entails further responsibilities for investigators.
Canadian Code of Conduct for Research Involving Humans
The final report of the Tri-Council Working Group on ethical conduct for research involving humans has been submitted to the three Councils.

Relevant Literature on this Topic

Whitbeck, Caroline. 1998. Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research.
New York: Cambridge University Press. Other keywords for this article: ethics and prudence; preferences vs. values; negligence;trust, distrust; ambiguity; moral ambiguity; responsibilities, general; professional responsibility; public safety; worker safety;laboratory safety; design process; engineering competence;environmental issues, global; environmental issues, chemical;conflict of interest; ethical codes and guidelines from professional societies; harassment, sexual harassment and aggression; workplace relationships; research misconduct;falsification and fabrication; plagiarism; authorship; animals in scientific research.
Back to Topics Index