Current regulatory trends, policies, and procedures greatly affect social studies research using human subjects and evaluation of that research. The legal source of protection of human subjects is the National Research Act of 1974. The law stipulates that rights of research subjects must be protected and that the responsibility is on the researcher to inform the subject of procedures and possible consequences of the research. Problems occur because local review boards monitor the research activities of their organizations. They have the potentiality to extend and abuse their role through their power to define what constitutes research and to determine what research they can control. In reference to some policies and procedures instituted by human subjects committees of educational institutions, it appears that the rights of researchers themselves are violated. In regulating research, possibilities of violation of the first amendment, the American system of justice, and academic freedom exist. Social studies research is affected by reduction in the amount of experimental research and the number of subjects involved, and by the fact that subjects must have prior knowledge of the purpose, nature, and direction of the research. Also, a great deal of time and money must be spent in obtaining consent. The conclusion is that any external control of the research community should not go by unchallenged. (KC)