The US Belmont Report is the “Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research” a report created by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, prompted in part by problems arising from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932–1972). The primary purpose of the Belmont Report is to protect human subjects and participants in clinical trials or research studies. The report was issued on Sept 30, 1978 and published in the Federal Register on April 18, 1979. [1, 2]
In 1991, 14 other Federal departments and agencies joined HHS in adopting a uniform set of rules for the protection of human subjects. This uniform set of regulations is the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, informally known as the ‘Common Rule‘. [3, 4]