In 1975, The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, the first national commission on bioethics, outlined three basic ethical principles to be used in research involving human subjects: 1) Respect for persons; 2) Beneficence; and 3) Justice. Application of these general principles to the conduct of research leads to requirements of informed consent, burden/benefit assessment, and the equitable selection of research subjects. The Belmont Report became the basis for IRBs.
