The evolution of best ethical practices in human research

Ideally, best practices in human research would evolve quickly in the wake of new ethical challenges, but in reality such challenges sometimes evoke Procrustean new oversight requirements that benefit neither human subjects nor science. The rapid advance of new topics, methods and ethical challenges in human research inevitably raises questions about the appropriateness of time-honored research practices, and about the most intelligent application of ethical principles to these new contexts. Such questions typically call for an insightful and nuanced understanding of the new context, rather than debate based on older conceptions. JERHRE serves as a forum to promote and publish meritorious empirical research on ethical issues, designed to enable us to learn from these challenges, and thereby hasten the evolution of best ethical practices in human research.