Ethical Safeguards in Voice Science: Are They Needed?

Abstract: Biomedical researchers may ask questions such as, "Which drug is the most effective treatment for this potentially fatal disease?" Singing research is comparably safer, leading some researchers to question the importance of ethical safeguards or peer review. Even with the best of intentions, however, voice researchers can seriously harm study participants, themselves, and the profession as a whole. Thankfully, ethics review committees and peer review prevent the most damaging mistakes in research, and excellent ethics training materials are freely available online. A summary of various ethical principles in science concludes this column.