HREC Guidelines for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students

It is a requirement of this University that all research involving humans be conducted in accordance with guidelines established by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) as detailed below. This encompasses all student research, including questionnaires, surveys and physically invasive procedures.

It is important that researchers recognise the debt they owe to those people who agree to be subjects or participants of research, and respect them accordingly. This will include a respect for their right to protection of their privacy, protection from embarrassment or intrusion, and any harm.

Students will require formal ethics approval when:

• Research (involving humans) is the major component of their degree (e.g. Doctoral students, Master's by research);
• The research involves direct interventions with humans which may have significant consequences for them (e.g. questions about sexuality or cancer could have significant effect on some people because of their own or family experience, changes of treatment protocols, and teaching interventions);
• The research involves significant issues of privacy (e.g. access to medical records or the collection of sensitive information);
• The research involves another institution which requires formal ethics approval from UTS (e.g. schools and nursing homes);
• The research involves significant ethical issues (e.g. conflict of interest and deception);
• The researcher is using subjects with whom he or she has an existing or prior relationship, such as student, employee, or family member.

Students (including Doctoral and Master's by research students) will not require formal ethics approval when:

• The research is anonymous (i.e. the identity of the subject/participant is unknown to the researcher and therefore names cannot be recorded);
• The subject matter being investigated is a matter of public record.

Some activities, such as investigative journalism, will involve interviewing people and collecting information but are not research as such. Activities such as these may be more readily dealt with through the appropriate professional codes and guidelines.

Students undertaking research must:

• Ensure the research adheres to the University's guidelines, the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee's Joint NHMRC/AV-CC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice, the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1988), and the National Health and Medical Research Council's National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans, and any relevant professional codes and guidelines, e.g. the Australian Psychological Society Ltd Code of Professional Conduct, and the Ethical Guidelines for Research for the Australian Sociological Association.

  Other research ethics references are available on the UTS Human Ethics website.

• Complete a proper literature review, where appropriate, to enhance the validity of the research;
• Plan the research carefully so as not to waste time of participants, e.g. by ensuring that information sought is relevant and necessary for the research;
• Plan the research carefully so as to minimise any adverse consequences for the subjects/participants (e.g. minimise disruption, intrusion, risk and discomfort);
• Identify themselves appropriately;
• Provide sufficient information to participants so that they are informed about all aspects of the research;
• Obtain written consent unless this will interfere with the anonymity of participants, in which case verbal consent will be adequate;
• Accept any decision by participants to withdraw from research projects at any time during the course of the project and without explanation;
• Ensure that any information/data is recorded in accordance with the Privacy Principles [Note: there are Privacy Principles in both the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and those in the Health Records and information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW)];
• Maintain confidentiality (i.e. not divulge any information obtained through the research without permission of the subjects/participants);
• Reveal any financial or funding interest in their research, e.g. commercial sponsorship.

Students undertaking research must not:

• Undertake any research which may require professional skills they do not yet possess unless assurance can be given from the supervisor that they are being acquired as part of the project;
• Misrepresent themselves in any way, e.g. as having more skills, qualifications or experience than is in fact the case;
• Undertake research which involves risks for subjects/participants (particularly possible long-term effects) which they would not wish for themselves or their families;
• Undertake research on humans without first informing them and seeking their permission;
• Coerce or induce others to participate in their research;
• Use deception (unless it has been successfully argued to the HREC that the harm involved in the deception is outweighed by the potential benefits of the research, and that the subjects/participants will be debriefed as soon as possible following the deception);
• Divulge any information relating to subjects/participants obtained through research projects when confidentiality/anonymity has been promised.

Recommended procedure for student research:

• Questionnaires/interviews, etc. should be as short and nonintrusive as possible. Do not ask for information that you do not need for your research;
• Anonymous responses are to be used wherever possible as this will reduce difficulties with storage of information and protection of privacy;
• Wherever possible and appropriate, offer to share findings with subjects/participants.

All information given to subjects/participants include:

• Identification of researcher as a student;
• Identification of supervisor;
• Identification of institution and university phone number and university address of supervisor;
• Purpose of study;
• Sufficient detail for subjects/participants to understand what the research will involve;
• Details of what will happen to information gathered.

Retention of data

The AV-CC guidelines on data storage and retention require that data be kept for a minimum of five years after publication of research. However, in NSW longer retention requirements are required for research on human subjects with potential long-term effects, research with long-term environmental effects, or research considered of national or international significance, importance, or controversy. If the data from this research project fails into one of these categories, contact University Records for advice on long-term retention (see University Records contact details below).

Queries

Queries should be addressed to your supervisor/course coordinator.

How to apply for formal ethics approval

Applications for ethics approval should be submitted by your supervisor/course coordinator on your behalf. The HREC meets on the first Tuesday of each month, excepting January. Students should allow at least three to six weeks to enable full consideration of their applications. Application forms are available from the Ethics Secretariat in the Research and Commercialisation Office, telephone (02) 9514 9615, or from the Application forms section of the UTS Human Ethics website.

Other UTS administrative contacts

For further information on long-term retention of data, contact:

University Records
telephone 02 9514 1245
website www.records.uts.edu.au

Last administrative update approved by: Professor Peter Booth, Acting Vice-Chancellor, November 2004