Values and Concepts of Ethics for Research Involving Humans

‘Transparency’ here means that an individual or group does not conceal information from others who have a legitimate interest in knowing that information.

Transparency is important in the research context because there are many interests (scientific, corporate, financial, personal, etc.) involved. Some of these interests may compete with each other. Without sufficient transparency, public trust in researchers and research generally may be hindered.

Striving to ensure a transparent research process is an ongoing task, as many factors may need to be addressed. For example, conflicts of interests are common among sponsors, governments, organisations hosting research, researchers and RECs. There are many types of conflicts of interests, some of which are more apparent than others, some manageable and others simply not. In dealing with such conflicts, researchers and RECs should adhere to the principle discussed above, that the interests of research participants should take priority over other types of interests.

One means of ensuring transparency in health research is to keep a registry of clinical trials. In the past, negative results from clinical trials may not have been reported. Starting in 2015, the EU Clinical Trials Register contains summaries of clinical trial results, both positive and negative. https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu

Further reading: US, Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, Report Chapter 3 https://ehss.energy.gov/ohre/roadmap/achre/overpt1.html