Ethics: research involving humans

• Human ethics approval
  
• Teaching and learning research
• Complaints

Human ethics approval

The University of Western Sydney fosters responsible research, maintaining the reputation of the University and its’ researchers. The University makes provision for the ethical review of research being conducted under its auspices that involves human participants. 

Research involving humans includes, but is not restricted to, the use and/or collection of personal, collective or cultural data from participants or from their records, and may include their oral testimony or observed cultural activities and the testing of responses to conditions devised by researchers as set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans 2007.

For a step by step guide on how to apply for human ethics approval please see Apply to Human Research Ethics Committee.

Teaching and learning research

All research, including learning and teaching research for publication, conducted at by UWS staff or students involving human participants, whether funded or unfunded, must undergo ethical review before the project commences. Guidelines on research learning and teaching projects (Word, 204Kb) and non-research learning and teaching projects, provide advice on whether these projects require ethics approval.

Research that is replicated annually or involves a coherent program with a suite of closely related studies over an extended period of time may be eligible for 5 year HREC approval, obviating the need for iterative applications - see guidelines on applying for program of research ethics approval (PDF, 25Kb).

Researchers intending to access UWS student records for the purposes of their research where consent has not been obtained from the students must seek provisional approval from the Academic Registrar prior to applying for ethical review. With in principle approval, ethical review can commence. An ethics approval protocol number is required by the Academic Registrar before access to the student records will be available. All student records must be de-identified by someone other than the researcher prior to release to the researcher – see flow chart of this process (PDF, 56Kb).

Complaints

If you have a complaint about the conduct of research projects approved by the UWS Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) please contact - humanethics@uws.edu.au.

For more information on how complaints are reviewed by the University see Complaints Guidelines 2008 (Word, 124Kb).

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