Objective / Background.

Scientific research contributes to the well-being of society, but conducts of doubtful ethical character persist. When interests conflict, they promote uncertainties of researcher autonomy and care for the researched. This article aims to analyze aspects related to the evaluation of ethical aspects of research involving human beings in Brazil and the participation of Social Control in this process.

Methodology / Approach.

The article is developed from an inter and multidisciplinary qualitative analysis that analyzes asymmetries, limitations and progresses present within the normative system and executor of the ethical parameters for research with humans in Brazil and the participation of Social Control. Especially, it addresses conflicts of evaluative orientation of ethical aspects in human research.

Results / Findings.

Divergent evaluative conducts of ethical aspects in human research are not limited to the different ethics committees, they are present within the committees themselves and need to be pacified. The representative of the research participants becomes mandatory presence as a member of the committees and reflects the need for continued training to exercise the function.

Discussion / Conclusions.

In Brazil, the National Commission on Ethics in Research (CONEP) was created in 1996. With consultative, deliberative, normative, and educational functions, it seeks to implement norms and guidelines regulating research with humans in Brazil mediated by a systemic and decentralized network of ethics committees. CONEP has faced challenges to equalize the decision-making symmetry of the different units of the system and among the units themselves, especially in the transposition of the ethical view of biomedical research to humanities research.

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