Wits adopts code to curb ‘ethics dumping’

Practice more prominent because of increase in researcher mobility, university claims

The University of the Witwatersrand has adopted a code of conduct to prevent ‘ethics dumping’, whereby researchers from richer nations opt to do research in poorer countries that would not be allowed where they are based.

Wits announced on 21 April that it has adopted the Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor settings. Wits is the third university to adopt the code along with the University of Cape Town and the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.