Human Subjects Research

Update on the Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections

The protection of human research subjects is again on the federal government’s agenda. In 2003, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson began the review process by creating the eleven-member Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP). The committee is charged with updating federal regulations and is looking at research protection for special populations, including children; individuals and populations in international studies; populations in which there are identifiable samples data or information; and investigator conflicts of interests. The Advisory Committee is aware of the many objections raised by social and behavioral scientists over the past years regarding the applicability of human protection regulations to social and behavioral science research, and the ways in which Institutional Review Boards have interpreted those regulations. A subcommittee is looking into the relevant portions of the federal regulations and will be inviting social and behavioral scientists to participate in its deliberations. Lorna Rhodes, an anthropologist from the University of Washington serves on the 12 person subcommittee.

APSA will be following the review process both independently and in concert with the members of the Consortium of Social Science Organizations. Questions and comments should be directed to Rob Hauck, APSA's deputy director, at rhauck@apsanet.org.

Excerpt from APSA's Guidelines for Professional Ethics, Rights and Freedoms

"H. Principles Governing Research on Human Subjects

34. The methodology of political science includes procedures which involve human subjects: surveys and interviews, observation of public behavior, experiments, physiological testing, and examination of documents. Possible risk to human subjects is something that political scientists should take into account. Under certain conditions, political scientists are also legally required to assess the risks to human subjects.

34.1 A common Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects became effective on August 19, 1991, adopted by 15 major federal departments and agencies including the National Science Foundation (45 CFR Part 690) and the Department of Health and Human Services (45 CFR Part 46). The Policy has been promulgated concurrently by regulation in each department and agency. While the federal policy applies only to research subject to regulation by the federal departments and agencies involved, universities can be expected to extend the policy to all research involving human subjects. "

View the full text of the APSA Guide on Professional Ethics, Rights and Freedoms.