International Ethical Guidelines on Epidemiological Studies

The mere formulation of ethical guidelines for epidemiological research involving human subjects will hardly resolve all the moral doubts that can arise in association with such research. Nonetheless, the present revised Guidelines are intended at least to draw the attention of investigators, sponsors and ethical review committees to the need to consider carefully the ethical implications of research protocols and the manner in which research is conducted, and thus to conduce to high scientific and ethical standards in epidemiological research.