What are the 3 Rs of animal research?

• A. Replacement, Refinement, Reduction
• B. Randomization, Replication, Reporting
• C. Reduction, Repetition, Registration
• D. Reform, Rationale, Responsibility

Answer: (A)

The concept tested is the ethical framework guiding animal research known as the 3 Rs: Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction. This set is about minimizing harm to animals while allowing scientific progress. Replacement means using alternatives to animals whenever possible, such as cell cultures, computer models, or human studies, so animals aren’t used unnecessarily. Refinement focuses on modifying procedures to lessen pain, distress, or lasting harm—for example, better anesthesia, humane endpoints, and less invasive techniques. Reduction aims to use fewer animals by designing studies well enough to achieve the needed results with smaller sample sizes, including robust statistics and sharing data to avoid duplicative work. The other choices describe general research practices (like randomization or replication) or terms that aren’t part of this ethical framework, so they don’t capture the standard 3 Rs.