The conduct of ethical research or experiments is propitious to humanity; it is not only a catalyst for discoveries and innovation across disciplines and borders but also produces valid and trustworthy outcomes. It is also a sine qua non to research in project management. The use of human subjects in research experiments is, however, replete with risks and unintended consequences of ethical and moral standards do not guide it. Cases in point include the pernicious and inhumane treatment that Nazi doctors inflicted on inmates and children and the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in which researchers denied and mistreated human participants. Many died as a consequence. The aftermath of these inhumane research experiments galvanized the consciences of humanity to establish various ethical standards and watchdogs to protect those who participate in human experiments from the risk of harm or nonmaleficence. Salient among the ethical standards are the Nuremberg Code (NC), the Declaration of Helsinki (DH), and the Belmont Report (BR). Auxiliary codes relevant to scientific researchers include the APA Ethics Code (APAEC), and the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the Project Management Solution University Integrity Policy (PMSUIP). The PMSURI focuses on the voluntary consent of human subjects in research, especially those who are vulnerable and need protection. The DH calls on researchers to respect the right of research participants to decide for themselves whether they want to become part of the research. The BR emphasizes respect, beneficence, and justice for human research participants. The APAEC is bent on promoting integrity in research, respecting the rights and dignity of research participants, and inflicting no harm to them. As a watchdog, the IRB ensures the compliance of ethical principles & standards in research, especially those that receive federal funding. NCUIP espouses research integrity and establishes zero-tolerance policies against plagiarism and self-plagiarism. The nature of this study focuses on the definition of ethical research, the application of ethical principles & standards in research, ethical considerations for doctorate research, and the description of a set of basic research ethical constructs. The conclusion will reflect on ethical scientific researchers and their commitment to stakeholders.
