Putting science
at the heart of development
Definitions
In this section you will find a directory of terms used in the field of research ethics. Several have been reproduced from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.
Developing countries are increasingly recognising the importance of science in developing their economies, and the challenges that entails.
E
Epidemiological research
Such research usually involves population-based investigations, which may be cross-sectional surveys of selected populations ('case-control studies') or all members of a community, or may involve longitudinal study of a population over time ('cohort studies'). Such studies are conducted to obtain an improved understanding of the natural history of a disease or to identify factors that increase or decrease the risk of disease in individuals. [Source: Nuffield Council on Bioethics]
Ethical review
The requirement that the ethics of research involving human participants be reviewed is now widely accepted. Issues considered during the review process typically include the predictable risks involved in the research, anticipated benefits to participants and communities from the research, provisions for their care and protection, procedures for recruitment and selection, and processes for obtaining informed and voluntary consent from participants. (See also research ethics committees and institutional review boards.)
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