Human ethics

USQ is committed to promoting ethical conduct of research and require all staff and students to ensure:

• experiments involving human subjects are worthwhile and likely to contribute to new knowledge
• experiments are conducted and supervised appropriately
• the rights of experimental subjects are protected.

Applications for human ethics approval are processed through the Office of Research.

As per the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research your research will need human ethics clearance if it includes the involvement of human beings through any of the following:

• taking part in surveys, interviews or focus groups
• undergoing psychological, physiological or medical testing or treatment
• being observed by researchers
• researchers having access to their personal documents or other materials
• the collection and use of their body organs, tissues or fluids (e.g. skin, blood, urine, saliva, hair, bones, tumour and other biopsy specimens) or their exhaled breath
• access to their information (in individually identifiable or re-identifiable form) as part of an existing published or unpublished source of database.

Categories not requiring clearance

You do not require USQ human ethics clearance for:

• market research
• use of statistical data
• use of non-identifiable archival data
• projects that are not reporting on or publishing the results of the findings externally provided the nature of the research involves only minimal or negligible intrusion or risk to participants
• research for the purpose of reviewing current teaching programs, courses, services, policies or procedures, provided the nature of the research involves only minimal or negligible intrusion or risk to participants and the findings will not not be published or presented externally e.g. teacher/course evaluations
• student projects with an education, training, or a practical experience focus do not normally require approval
• quality assurance/audit projects that do not involve access to or collection of private, sensitive or health data and the findings will not be published or presented externally.

Definitions

Non-identifiable data is data which have never been labelled with individual identifiers or from which identifiers have been permanently removed, and by means of which no specific individual can be identified.

The Human Research Ethics Committee is established and conducted in compliance with the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007).  The primary purpose of the National Statement is the protection of the welfare and rights of participants in research.

The Human Research Ethics Committee is responsible for:

• reviewing the ethical acceptability of human research
• advising of any ethical considerations for these proposals
• ensuring compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements relating to human research.

The general principles followed by the Human Research Ethics Committee in its deliberations are:

• informed participant consent
• voluntary participation and right of withdrawal without sanction
• confidentiality of participants and records
• secure storage of relevant data for a minimum period of five years after completion of a research project
• clear, coherent expression of research proposals, and
• regular monitoring of research outcomes.

Whilst the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007), and Chapter 4.7: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in particular, enables researchers to ‘meet’ rule-based requirements of ethical approval, it is also necessary that researchers engage fully with the implications of difference and values relevant to their research.

The NHRMC Values and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research are based on the importance of trust, recognition and values. Ethical research therefore, requires not only the limiting of inappropriate behaviour, but also that researchers develop an awareness of the settings that may lead unintentionally to imprudent or untrustworthy behaviours.

Researchers who propose to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should ensure that they have read and addressed the above guidelines, together with the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (GERAIS).

Note: If you are planning to undertake health and/or wellbeing research involving Aboriginal people in New South Wales, then you must also submit your proposal to the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) Ethics Committee for review prior to its commencement.