Ethics

Na#onal Statement and responsible research prac#ce

National Statement
The purpose of this Na/onal Statement is to promote ethically good
human research. Fullment of this purpose requires that par/cipants be
accorded the respect and protec/on that is due to them. It also involves
the fostering of research that is of benet to the community.
It rst denes What is human research?
Research conducted with or about people, or their data or /ssue
taking part in surveys, interviews or focus groups;
undergoing psychological, physiological or medical tes#ng or treatment;
being observed by researchers;
researchers having access to their personal documents or other materials;
the collec#on and use of their body organs, #ssues or uids (eg skin, blood,
urine, saliva, hair, bones, tumour and other biopsy specimens) or their
exhaled breath;
access to their informa#on (in individually iden#able, re-iden#able
or non-iden#able form) as part of an exis#ng published or unpublished
source or database.

hEp://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publica#ons/e72
Why and when is ethical
review needed?
To ensure that the research proposal meets the requirements
of the Na/onal Statement and is ethically acceptable
Clearance needs to be obtained before the research can
commence
NB HREC clearance cannot be given retrospec#vely

hEp://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publica#ons/e72
Values and Principles
Research Merit and Integrity
The research is informed, has appropriate design, has merit and
the researchers have integrity, the researchers are equipped to
undertake project, project is jus#ed by poten#al benet
Jus5ce
Takes into account the scope and objec#ves of the research,
recruitment is fair, no unfair burden on par#cular groups of
par#cipants, fair distribu#on of the benets of taking part in
research, fair access to results
Benecence
The likely benet of the research jus#es any risks of harm or
discomfort
Respect
Recogni#on of the intrinsic value of human beings, privacy,
conden#ality, cultural sensi#vi#es
hEp://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publica#ons/e72
Risks and bene>its, consent
Researchers need to assess risk
The poten#al harm, discomfort, inconvenience
physical harms: including injury, illness, pain;
psychological harms: including feelings of worthlessness, distress,
guilt, anger or fear related, for example, to disclosure of sensi/ve or
embarrassing informa/on, or learning about a gene/c possibility of
developing an untreatable disease;
devalua3on of personal worth: including being humiliated,
manipulated or in other ways treated disrespecFully or unjustly;
social harms: including damage to social networks or rela/onships
with others; discrimina/on in access to benets, services,
employment or insurance; social s/gma/sa/on; and ndings of
previously unknown paternity status;
economic harms: including the imposi/on of direct or indirect costs
on par/cipants;
legal harms: including discovery and prosecu/on of criminal conduct.
hEp://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publica#ons/e72
There are no ethics
rules
The values and principles guide our research
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY HREC(S)
Our institutional HRECs:
research with people
All University of Sydney sta and students who intend to
conduct research involving human par#cipants must
apply for approval from the Universitys Human Research
Ethics CommiEee (HREC) or one of its Faculty sub-
commiEees.
Research must be granted HREC approval BEFORE it can
commence.
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ and click on
Human Ethics
Types of research may include:
Administering ques#onnaires/surveys;
Conduc#ng interviews or focus groups;
Inves#ga#ng or observing human behaviour;
Rou#ne tes#ng of human par#cipants;
Administering drugs, ionising radia#on, chemical agents
or vaccines;
Any other experimenta#on involving human beings
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/
what.shtml
Who are main HREC?
A chairperson
Lay people
Members with knowledge of, and current experience in,
the areas of research that are regularly considered by
the HREC
Members with knowledge of, and current experience in,
the professional care, counselling or treatment of people
A minister of religion or similar community role; and
A lawyer.
SCM HREC
A sub-commiEee of HREC 2
Six SCM researchers from Performance, Composi#on,
Music Educa#on, Arts Music and Musicology
Meet fortnightly to consider SCM low risk student
projects
Key functions of HREC
Consider the ethical implica#ons and scien#c merit of
all proposed human research projects and determine
whether or not they are acceptable on ethical and
scien#c grounds;
Ensure, while promo#ng the advance of knowledge by
research, that the rights of the research par#cipants take
precedence over the expected benets to human
knowledge
Preparing your project
Your Ethics applica#on stage is a key part of your research
proposal
Think about ethical issues as you plan your project
Communicate in lay language
Use guidelines to help you
Use correct templates for suppor#ng documenta#on
Make sure your applica#on makes sense to outsiders

hEp://s1.sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/documents/secure/Human_ethics_IRMA_ques#ons.pdf
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/aEachments.shtml
When to start?
And how long does it take?

First up, start early.

Allow #me for submission
You will need all inves#gator signos plus HoS
Allow #me for changes
HREC may require some extra detail, either just to the Chair, or
back to the whole commiEee.
Where to start?
What do you need to >ill in/create?
IRMA online Applica#on form
Par#cipant Informa#on Statements
Par#cipant Consent Sheets
Safety Protocol (if youre researching osite)
Interview Schedules
Ques#onnaires
Invita#on emails / yers
Top #p
Start with your Project Background and Descrip5on before you
launch into the form itself. This forms the last two ques#ons
Describe the project
use lay terms wherever possible,
include the aims, hypotheses, research plan and
poten5al signicance
think 1. Background, Aims AND 2. Method
Provide four references to exis#ng literature in the
background to your study to jus#fy the need and the
ra#onale for the method for your study
Outline the steps of your research project with people
Par#cipants and Recruitment
How will you:
Iden#fy your poten#al par#cipants
Personal contacts? New contacts?
Adver#se your study
Invite people to take part
Think about posters/iers, email invita#ons
These are public documents and will be included in
your applica#on
Information and Consent
PIS and PCF templates are available on the ethics
website (with numbered points for you to edit and
complete).
On the PCF, consider:
Withdrawal from the project
Specic consent (#ck boxes)
For audio/video taping
For using par#cipants names for quotes
Start with the templates here:
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/
human/forms.shtml


Data collection, storage and

dissemination of results
Will you make recordings?
How will you keep data conden#al?
Par#cipant coding or permanent removal of iden#ers?
How will you give feedback to par#cipants about the
project?
Debrief sheets? Summary of your thesis?
Where (and for how long) will you store your data?
In your supervisors oce, then for 5 years before shredding/
erasure
In perpetuity?
Project location
Where will your research take place?
At SCM, o campus?
Consider permissions and safety in your project loca#on
Do you need permission for o-site loca#ons?
Safety Protocol required for anything outside SCM
Can you conduct the project in a public place?
Check out the safety protocol examples here
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/
guidelines/index.shtml
References
Human Ethics Resources
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/
The main site with links to forms and to templates for
Par#cipant Informa#on Sheets and Consent Sheets.
Check out
hEp://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/human/
guidelines/index.shtml for FAQ about research issues
you might face.