The importance of having ethical oversight in research that is carried out on humans is well established. Research ethics, which is mainly influenced by a biomedical ethical framework, aims to ensure that the well-being and the rights of research participants are upheld and that any potential risks and harms are reduced. However, research is also considered to be a social activity with social effects. Therefore the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as a framework for research ethics may be significant. This (...) paper outlines those principles and demonstrates how these principles may be used for: reflecting ethically on research , judging a research ethics proposal and providing guidelines for action in research. (shrink)