Justice necessitates that the benefits and burdens of research be distributed fairly and equitably. It requires these practices:

6.1 Equitable recruitment of subjects

Recruitment methods must not violate individuals’ privacy. For example, when using a snowball sampling technique, a researcher should provide individuals she contacts with information about the study for them to forward to other people instead of individuals giving the researcher names of and contact information for other people without the latter’s permission.

The IRB must review and approve any proposed recruitment materials for a study before they are used.

6.2 Equitable selection of subjects

Subject selection criteria must avoid discriminating against classes of humans (e.g., sex, age, or ethnicity) except as required for scientific reasons.