10 ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - SCIENCE - 2025

The ethical implications of scientific research are related to those actions that directly affect, either positively or negatively, human beings and nature.

Every professional practice is permeated by a code of ethics, and scientific research is no exception. Scientific research is observed even more by external agents because its objectives are mainly to provide new benefits and optimize the quality of life of society.

In addition to the scientific rigor that must be present in all research, a variety of branches of science have been faced with scenarios and situations that could generate ethical and moral questions.

The implementation of new technologies has also required that research must test certain methods that could hurt the susceptibility of public opinion.

When it comes to ethical questions in research, those related to bioethics stand out, which is manifested in the manipulation of life, human or animal, in scientific research.

Main Ethical Implications of Scientific Research

Right to participate in research

One of the methods of quantitative research is experiments

Any person interested in being part of an investigation as a test subject has every right to accept or decline their participation before the start of said investigation.

No subject should be forced by the institution to take part in an investigation, especially if it is intended to intervene in their health.

Similarly, they must be allowed to withdraw from the project at any time that the subject deems necessary, without the possibility of physical or psychological retaliation by those in charge of the investigation.

Information about the investigation

All volunteer participants must be duly informed of the implications, objectives and scope of the research in which they will be involved and, for no reason, must be subjected to this blindly of what may happen.

This information also includes the risks to which it will be subjected and the purposes - commercial or not - that its results may have.

In addition to this, access to the information on the results of the investigation must be guaranteed and no formal secrecy must be incurred at any time.

Guarantee of identity and anonymity

Any participant who has provided their information for voluntary participation in research must have guarantees that it will not be used for purposes other than the research itself.

You must be assured that your identity will be kept anonymous at all stages of scientific research.

Special Considerations About Research Participants

Researchers must take into account any special conditions or disabilities (physical or mental) that some participants may have.

In no way should an investigation subject subjects to conditions outside their natural capacities.

Similarly, if the research requires obtaining data from outside the organization and the participants, the researchers must be responsible for the access and use of this information, as well as the use that is intended to be given within the project.

About animal testing

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Experimentation with animals has been one of the topics most approached when discussing the ethics of scientific research. Implicitly, a bias is created that attributes moral burdens to the animals that will be subjects of experimentation, especially by organizations external to the research itself.

This has been one of the aspects that causes the most controversy in public opinion, much more than the same experimentation in humans. This is so because of the ability of humans to make the rational decision to participate or not in different projects, a capacity that animals do not have.

However, there are many formal conclusions that affirm that animals, due to their inability to rationalize their present and future, should not be the subject of these moral attributions.

The fight has been so strong that currently it is sought that the suffering of animals during a scientific investigation is minimal, inasmuch as it cannot be zero.

For science, animal experimentation has been deemed necessary because it is the transition stage towards human testing.

If each new initiative were tested directly in humans, the negative results could be much greater, confronting organizations with new ethical questions from public opinion.

Principles of replacement, reduction and refinement in research

This initiative of three “Rs” mainly addresses animal experimentation, continuing the aforementioned.

The replacement consists of the substitution of animals for relative computer models, which allow an approach to a result similar to that obtained from the animal.

In the worst case, it is proposed to replace the animals with species with less susceptibility to pain. Reduce refers to decreasing the number of animals used for each research stage in a given project.

Finally, refinement is the search and use of new techniques that minimize the anguish and pain of the animals that are the subject of research, providing levels of well-being that can be considered adequate.

Reinforcing respect for life

Any research project that manipulates human or animal lives as part of its experimentation stages can create a certain insensitivity for the well-being and life of beings.

This is why bioethics seeks to reinforce respect for all types of life in these same environments and to raise awareness about their susceptibilities inside and outside the laboratory.

In this way, scientific projects can have a much freer way to continue developing scientifically, and above all legally. In this way you will be able to fulfill your objectives in front of civil society, your main recipient.

Veracity

In the field of scientific research, it is tempting to hide information about the possible adverse effects of the work itself in order to move forward with the project.

The need for money to finance research and prestige to have the best technical and human research team is the main driver of these temptations.

But when a scientist lies, the risks to the people and organisms involved in the experiments can be fatal.

That is why scientists are obliged to report everything they do, both to study volunteers and to those responsible for research.

Confidentiality

During the development of the investigation, there is a lot of sensitive information that must be safeguarded so that it is not used without the proper context.

Likewise, in most cases the identity of the people involved as test subjects is protected. In addition to the possible commercial or military secrets to which you have access.

Intellectual property

It is the researcher's obligation to respect patents, copyrights and any other form of intellectual property.

It is necessary to give the credit to whom it corresponds and not to use data, methods or results that have not been published without permission of the author.

Conflict of interests

The conflict of interest can arise when there is a financial relationship between the research sponsors and the researcher, outside the strict financing of the work.

Receiving expensive gifts for saying that a food or medicine is beneficial, or accepting commissions for supporting a pharmaceutical campaign, are examples of situations in which there is a conflict of interest that can reduce the credibility of the investigator's work.

Respect for the legal framework

When conducting investigations, laws and governmental or institutional policies must be observed. Violating them can only lead to the suspension of the investigation, as well as a legal penalty for those involved in it.

The legal framework is essential for coexistence and scientific ethics must be clear that it cannot exceed it despite the fact that the purpose may contribute to some finding.

Are there requirements for a scientific investigation to be ethical?

According to the Nuremberg Code, informed consent is the fundamental requirement that a scientific research must meet to be considered ethical.

The International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research with Human Subjects of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), supports this proposal by dedicating the first nine points to informed consent.

But, the researcher Ezekiel Emanuel, proposes these seven (in this order):

• Social or scientific value.
• Scientific validity.
• Equitable selection of subjects.
• Favorable risk / benefit ratio.
• Independent evaluation.
• Informed consent.
• Respect for the registered subjects.

References

1. Arellano, JS, Hall, RT, & Arriaga, JH (2014). Ethics of scientific research. Querétaro: Autonomous University of Querétaro.
2. World Medical Association. (1964). WMA HELSINKI STATEMENT - ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR MEDICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN HUMAN BEINGS. Helsinki: AMM.
3. GE, E.-C., & JP., P.-H. (2016). The ethical and bioethical implications in scientific research. Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, 115-118.
4. Moyaa, FB, Buenoa, SD, & Hernándeza, SB (2018). Ethical and legal implications of biomedical research. Clinical Medicine, 87-90.
5. Ojeda de López, J., Quintero, J., & Machado, I. (2007). Ethics in research. Telos, 345-357.