Human research ethics approval
Introduction
The fifth generic quality involves the development of a commitment to ethical action and social responsibility as a researcher in a discipline or professional area and as a leading citizen. Higher degree by research students should be aware of their ethical requirements within the professional area and practice, and of the ethical demands that arise from new knowledge generated by research in the area.
In the course of academic research a number of ethics-related issues may
commonly arise. It is therefore essential for supervisors and research
students to
have ongoing discussions about the ethical implications and responsibilities
that accompany a research project especially where the research involves
human subjects or participants.
UniSA resources
On campus workshops
Research Education Support Activities (RESA) offers on campus workshops relevant to ethics in research as part of the core series (eg Ethics proposal in the Business, social sciences and humanities commencing program and Understanding politics, ethics and financial aspects of research in the Sciences, engineering and technology advancing research program). Check the calendar for details of when these workshops are offered.
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Online workshops, courses and resources
Ethics and compliance index (RESA) provides links to online workshops, courses and resources.
Other
Ethics and compliance (Research and Innovation Services) is the administrative site of the University, with all the information you need to know regarding human research ethics and use of human tissue, including meeting dates, deadlines for receiving applications and contact details.
Human research ethics (Research degrees) provides information on the Human Research Ethics Committee and Divisional HRECs within UniSA, and the principles and procedures for gaining HREC approval.
Participant information sheet guidelines (Research and Innovation Services) discusses: General information; Email or internet distribution; Control groups; Collection of data on audio or videotapes; Drug therapy; and Radiation in regard to researching humans.
Human Research Ethics (Policy no RES-2.0): 'Research within the
University involving human subjects must be approved by the University
of South Australia Human Research Ethics Committee (USAHREC). The
USAHREC reports to the Vice Chancellor through the Deputy Vice
Chancellor and Vice President
(Research) but the Chair is authorised to approach the Vice Chancellor
directly if he/she believes there is a potential conflict of interest.'
Other resources
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) website provides information on Research and more specifically Ethical issues. Features include:
- Human research ethics page provides a link to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) - 'Ethics and ethical principles extend to all spheres of human activity. They apply to our dealings with each other, with animals and the environment.'
- Ethical issues page provides information on the Australian Health Ethics Committee which advises the NHMRC on ethical issues relating to health and developing guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans
- Publications page provides the option to use a search facility or go to a full list of current publications. The topics list includes Ethics - Human. Downloadable PDF files of documents are available.
Halasa, Karen (1998) Annotated Bibliography - Ethics in Educational Research position paper offers some valuable insights on ethics in research involving humans, while providing an overview of the literature on key issues including informed consent; the relationship between researcher and researched; data storage and cultural sensitivity. Although the focus is on research in education, the references would be of interest to supervisors of any discipline concerned about the ethics of involving human participants.