Professor Hazel Biggs is Professor of Medical Law at the University of Southampton, UK.

This book explores and explains the relationship between law and ethics in the context of medically related research in order to provide a practical guide to understanding for members of research ethics committees, professionals involved with medical research and those with an academic interest in the subject.

1. Introduction Part 1 2. Brief History of Research Ethics 3. Research Ethics in Theory and Practice 4. Legal Liabilities of RECs 5. Consent 6. Confidentiality Issues in Research Part 2: Specialist Concerns 7. Researching Vulnerable Groups 8. Human Tissue 9. Conclusions and Thorny Issues