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One of the earliest ethics codes, the Nuremberg Code is a set of 10 principles established in 1947 in conjunction with the trials of Nazi physicians accused of cruel research on concentration camp prisoners during World War II. It provided a standard to evaluate the behavior of the men on trial and was particularly clear about the critical importance of carefully weighing risks against benefits and the necessity of obtaining informed consent from participants.

Nuremberg Code

Created by the World Medical Council in 1964, the Declaration of Helsinki is an ethics code similar to the Nuremberg Code. A significant standard it added was the requirement that any research involving human participants must be based on a written protocol—a detailed description of the study—that undergoes review by an independent committee. This declaration has undergone several revisions, with the most recent occurring in 2004.

Declaration of Helsinki

A foundational moral principle in psychological research is that a study is only ethical if its potential benefits outweigh its risks. This ethical evaluation can be challenging, as the risks and benefits are often not directly comparable and may affect different groups; for instance, a study might pose significant risks to the research participants while offering substantial benefits primarily to the scientific community or society.

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