What does ethical research require concerning participant harm?

Ethical research is fundamentally grounded in the principle of minimizing harm to participants. This principle stems from a commitment to respect the dignity, rights, and welfare of individuals involved in research. Therefore, the requirement that potential harm should be avoided or minimized reflects a key ethical consideration in research design. Researchers must take active measures to foresee potential risks associated with their studies and implement strategies to mitigate these risks. This includes providing appropriate safeguards, informed consent processes, and monitoring throughout the research duration to protect participants from undue distress or harm.

In contrast, the other options contradict the core ethical standards. For instance, having participants completely uninformed would violate principles of informed consent, denying individuals' autonomy to make educated decisions about their involvement in research. Focusing solely on financial gain neglects the ethical responsibilities researchers have towards participants, as it prioritizes profit over the well-being of individuals. Lastly, maximizing risks for thorough testing poses serious ethical issues as it could lead to significant harm, undermining the foundational goal of protecting research participants.