Nicola Howe, Thomas Chadwick, Dorothy Newbury-Birch, Elaine McColl
{"title":"Attitudes of Longitudinal Study Participants and Members of the Public Towards Data Sharing for Secondary Research: A Survey Based Approach.","authors":"Nicola Howe, Thomas Chadwick, Dorothy Newbury-Birch, Elaine McColl","doi":"10.1177/15562646261452724","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261452724","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most research funders and journals now require researchers to make their data available for sharing. There is a growing body of literature on research participants' attitudes towards health data sharing, but less evidence regarding views of participants taking part in longitudinal studies, clinical trials or public health research.1,664 respondents from the UK (participants in longitudinal studies ALSPAC and ACONF and members of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups completed a questionnaire survey exploring attitudes towards data sharing, including consent and data storage. Respondents were most concerned about privacy and data security and highlighted concerns about open access and sharing with commercial organisations.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"253-274"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13554376/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148152738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond Methodology: The Role of Reflexivity in Ethical Research That Benefits Marginalised Participants and Communities.","authors":"Bethlehem Tekola","doi":"10.1177/15562646261463356","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261463356","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reflexivity is often framed in qualitative research methods literature as a means of enhancing methodological rigour and research quality. However, less attention has been paid to whether research that meets such standards is also ethically responsive to the needs of participants and communities. In this paper, I critically examine the role of reflexivity in advancing ethical research practices, particularly in studies involving marginalised groups and communities. Drawing on Indigenous and decolonial scholarship, together with insights from my own long-term engagement with marginalised groups and communities, I propose an approach to reflexivity that is community centred and ethically oriented. I further explore the limits of reflexivity in addressing power asymmetries and ensuring that research produces knowledge that matters to researched communities. This paper contributes to ongoing debates in qualitative inquiry by repositioning reflexivity not only as a marker of rigour but as a practice with ethical and political significance for research.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"299-304"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13554362/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148414666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah C Mead Jasperse, Javier Virués-Ortega, Michelle P Kelly, Shannon N Ward, Aida Tarifa-Rodríguez, Malena Manchado-Porras, Carlos Mera-Cantillo, José Ignacio Navarro-Guzmán
{"title":"An Experimental Analysis of Research Assent in Children.","authors":"Sarah C Mead Jasperse, Javier Virués-Ortega, Michelle P Kelly, Shannon N Ward, Aida Tarifa-Rodríguez, Malena Manchado-Porras, Carlos Mera-Cantillo, José Ignacio Navarro-Guzmán","doi":"10.1177/15562646261461801","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261461801","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"415-417"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148355386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carly Jean Seedall, Jūratė Lekstutienė, Vilma Lukaševičienė, Agnė Girkontaitė, Lisa Tambornino, Vygintas Aliukonis, Eugenijus Gefenas
{"title":"Funding and Function During Crises: A Global Survey of Research Ethics Committees During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Carly Jean Seedall, Jūratė Lekstutienė, Vilma Lukaševičienė, Agnė Girkontaitė, Lisa Tambornino, Vygintas Aliukonis, Eugenijus Gefenas","doi":"10.1177/15562646261486085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261486085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research ethics committees (RECs) help uphold ethical research, but little is known about how their funding affects their capacity, especially in crises. Via survey data from 324 REC representatives in 80 countries, we examine funding sources, perceived compensation adequacy, and operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. About one-fifth reported having no funding for operations or compensation, and only around one-third viewed their compensation as adequate. Funding constraints were more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries and may be associated with greater reported challenges. Our findings suggest that REC resilience during crises depends on stable support, especially from policymakers and institutional leaders.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261486085"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149083730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When Scientific Validity Overshadows Justice: An Analysis of a Liberian Institutional Review Board's Minutes (2018-2019) Using the Emanuel et al. Framework.","authors":"Sienneh Zezay Tamba, Marlyn Faure, Heidi Matisonn","doi":"10.1177/15562646261488591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261488591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-Ebola Liberia experienced rapid growth in internationally sponsored health research, increasing demands on institutional review boards (IRBs) amid constrained oversight capacity. This qualitative single-case study analyzed meeting minutes from 2018-2019 from one Liberian IRB, coding 124 documented ethical concerns using Emanuel et al.'s eight-principle framework. Scientific validity accounted for nearly half of concerns, while fair participant selection and informed consent formed a second tier, and collaborative partnership and social value were rarely mentioned. These findings suggest that concerns tied to study design, risk-benefit assessment, and consent are raised more frequently than concerns that explicitly address partnership and social value. We interpret this pattern as a profile of documented deficiencies rather than a hierarchy of the committee's ethical commitments, since minutes capture objections and requests for change. The results highlight opportunities to strengthen attention to collaborative partnership, social value, and equity-oriented capacity-building in IRB procedures, and training in Liberia and aid-dependent settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261488591"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149077481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Introduction to Special Issue: Outputs of the US NIH Fogarty International Center Research Ethics Curriculum Development Programs 2012-2025.","authors":"Douglas R Wassenaar","doi":"10.1177/15562646261493361","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261493361","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261493361"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149077482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From Biomarker to Social Diagnosis: Reframing the Ethics of HIV Vaccine-Induced Seropositivity.","authors":"Fan Xia, Shu Xia","doi":"10.1177/15562646261489042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261489042","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261489042"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149013451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative Analysis of Large Language Models in Interpreting Publication Research Ethics: Insights from COPE Forum Case Studies.","authors":"Kannan Sridharan, Gowri Sivaramakrishnan","doi":"10.1177/15562646261488630","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261488630","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundCommittee on Publication Ethics (COPE) serves as one of the key resources for journal editors navigating ethical challenges. This study evaluated two large language models (LLMs) in interpreting real-world publication ethics cases compared to COPE member responses.MethodsEleven anonymized COPE cases were selected. Gemini 2.5 Flash and DeepSeek-V3.2 provided editorial advice for each case. Responses were scored using a structured rubric supplemented by descriptive case-wise comparisons relative to COPE responses.ResultsBoth LLMs generated detailed responses for all cases, with similar domain scores. LLMs largely aligned with COPE, often adding actionable steps like contacting secondary authors or updating policies. However, they occasionally omitted specific COPE suggestions or contradicted guidance.ConclusionLLMs demonstrate competence in interpreting publication research ethics and, when paired with appropriate prompt-engineering training, can offer editors structured, actionable advice. However, their occasional contradictions and inability to fully replicate nuanced human judgment necessitate careful human oversight.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261488630"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148993488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Valeriano López-Segura, Helmann Cantor Hernández, María Teresa Gómez Lozano, Manuela Fernández Pinto, Juny Montoya Vargas
{"title":"Designing and Evaluating a Project-Oriented Problem-Based Learning Curriculum: A Master's Program in Bioethics and Research Ethics in Colombia.","authors":"Valeriano López-Segura, Helmann Cantor Hernández, María Teresa Gómez Lozano, Manuela Fernández Pinto, Juny Montoya Vargas","doi":"10.1177/15562646261487463","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261487463","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Given the growing demand for bioethics and research ethics training in Latin America, we present a new graduate program in Bioethics and Research Ethics at Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. This master's program offers an innovative pedagogical approach for training new leaders in bioethics, research ethics, and ethical decision-making through its Project-Oriented Problem-Based Learning (PO-PBL) curriculum. The program aims to develop the necessary skills for researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals more generally to design, develop, and evaluate healthcare-related research projects from a bioethical stance. This paper presents the pedagogical design of the program's curriculum, the results from the evaluation of its first implementation, and an analysis of achievements and remaining challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261487463"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148973026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pablo Marshall, Florencia Herrera, Nicole Gallegos, Valquiria Ramos, Beatriz Ruíz
{"title":"Misunderstanding and Overprotection: The Impact of Research Ethics Committees on Social Disability Studies in Chile.","authors":"Pablo Marshall, Florencia Herrera, Nicole Gallegos, Valquiria Ramos, Beatriz Ruíz","doi":"10.1177/15562646261476110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261476110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explores the experiences of researchers in Chile when submitting disability-related projects to Research Ethics Committees. Through a qualitative approach involving 18 semi-structured interviews with researchers, the study identifies the barriers that arise from applying existing ethical frameworks to social research on disability. The results reveal a \"presumption of incapacity\" toward people with disabilities-an infantilizing and overprotective view that leads to excessive and detrimental requirements. Key findings highlight the questioning of the capacity to consent, the medicalization of disability, and the imposition of third parties in decision-making processes. These practices impact research by altering methodologies, excluding people with disabilities from studies, causing burnout within research teams, and limiting the production of evidence relevant to public policy. The study underscores the need to move toward more flexibility, integrating a rights-based perspective and the necessary supports to ensure the full and effective participation of people with disabilities in research.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261476110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148698717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}