Introduction

Abstract

Recently, there has been a growth of scholarship in research ethics accompanied by several revisions of international research ethics guidelines highlighting issues pertaining to international collaborative research performed in low and middle income countries (LMICs) (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) and World Health Organization (WHO) 2016; World Medical Association 2013). Several reasons explain for focusing the lens of research ethics on international collaborative research. First and foremost, commentators have expressed concerns regarding inadequate protection of the rights and welfare of research participants leading to unnecessary harms, exploitation, and injustices at both the micro and macro levels (Bhutta 2002; London 2010; Pratt and Loff 2014). Second, oversight mechanisms that exist in LMICs have not been able to respond effectively to the ethical and legal issues that arise from the growth of such research, especially clinical trials (Kirigia et al. 2005; Moodley and Myer 2007). Indeed, many commentators have expressed concerns about the lack of regulatory oversight and the ineffectiveness of ethics review in LMICs (Bhutta 2002; Hyder et al. 2009; Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2002). Third, there is a growing recognition that the local context governed by culture and religion warrant differences in the application of general principles of research ethics, but there is controversy regarding whether such applications of ethics principles respect local diversity or whether they represent inappropriate double standards (Christakis 1992; Landes 2005; Macklin 2004; Tangwa 2004). Finally, studies have demonstrated the marked prevalence of research misbehaviors that include data falsification and fabrication, plagiarism, inappropriate authorship practices, and lack of transparency regarding conflicts of interest (Okonta and Rossouw 2013, 2014).