US social scientists have long complained about the impact of the Common Rule, the main Federal regulation governing the ethical review of biomedical and behavioural research by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). In 2011, the relevant Federal agencies announced a review, leading to the publication of revised regulations on the very last day of the Obama Presidency. The final text, however, seems to have been driven by a concern to patch a few holes in the 2005 revision which, for the social sciences, did little to address the flaws of the original. It is time to tear the house down and rebuild on stronger foundations instead of trying to paper over the obvious cracks.
Read the full post at Socialsciencespace http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2017/01/common-rule-reform-botched-job/