Created by the U.S. National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, the Belmont Report (1979) is a statement of ethical principles for the protection of human subjects in research. The report was prompted by evidence* of post-WWII medical and scientific misconduct in human subjects studies in Europe and the United States.

The Belmont Report continues today as the framework for the policies and procedures of institutional review boards across the Western world that review human subjects research proposals.

*for example, The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972), experiments at Willowbrook State School in New York (1950s-1970s), Stanley Milgram’s obedience to authority studies (1960s), Laud Humphreys’ “tearoom” research (1966-7)

Source: Israel, M. and I. Hay. 2006. Research Ethics for Social Scientists. London; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Click here to see the full report.