Which of the following ensures compliance with ethical standards in research?

Approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) is essential in ensuring compliance with ethical standards in research. An IRB is responsible for reviewing research proposals to ensure that they conform to ethical guidelines, particularly concerning the rights and welfare of human participants. The IRB assesses whether the potential benefits of the research outweigh the risks to participants, evaluates informed consent processes, and ensures that privacy and confidentiality are protected. By requiring IRB approval, research institutions uphold ethical practices and responsibility towards participants, which is a critical component of conducting ethical research.

While regular training of researchers, the use of control groups, and peer-reviewed publication can contribute to good research practices and integrity, they do not directly ensure compliance with ethical standards as defined by established regulatory frameworks. Regular training helps researchers understand ethical concepts, but without formal approval from an IRB, a study may still violate ethical norms. Control groups are a methodological consideration rather than an ethical one, and peer review helps ensure the quality of research but does not directly address the ethical treatment of subjects. Therefore, IRB approval is the primary mechanism that actively safeguards ethical standards in research.