Belmont Report

What is the Belmont Report?

The Belmont Report is a 1979 US research-ethics document that explains principles for protecting people who participate in research. It was produced by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

The report provides an ethical foundation for researchers and institutional review boards (IRBs). Its three principles are respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

What does the Belmont Report say?

• Respect for persons: respect people’s autonomy and provide protection when autonomy is diminished.
• Beneficence: avoid harm and assess how possible benefits can be increased and possible harms reduced.
• Justice: distribute research burdens and benefits fairly.

Applications to research

The report connects those principles to three decisions: obtaining informed consent, assessing risks and benefits, and selecting participants.

Consent requires attention to information, comprehension, and voluntariness. Giving someone detailed information is not enough if they cannot understand it or cannot freely decline. Participant selection likewise needs a reason connected to the research, rather than a group’s convenient availability or compromised position.

How to use the report

The report gives a basis for asking ethical questions about a study. It does not remove the need for judgment: principles can conflict, and the document does not settle every case. A scientifically interesting result alone does not resolve questions about consent, risk, or fairness.

Read the original Belmont Report for the principles and their applications.