Assessment3_ResearchEthicsProposalForm.docx

RESEARCH ETHICS PROPOSAL

All research proposals for Excelsia College staff and students must be approved by the Excelsia College Research Ethics Committee prior to commencement.

· If you are uncertain about how to answer any of the questions please seek advice from your Department Head or the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee.

· Protocols that do not provide sufficient information to enable an adequate assessment will be returned for revision.

SECTION 1: Coversheet

Researcher’s name

(Please underline family name)

Researcher’s School

Postal address for

correspondence

Telephone number/s

Email

Please circle the type of research being undertaken

Staff

PhD

Professional
Doctorate

Masters
Research

Masters
Coursework

Grad Dip/
Grad Cert

Honours

Undergraduate

Other

Title of research project

Plain English title

(for inclusion on material

provided to research participants)

Proposed commencement date

I certify that the protocol is complete, and the research will be conducted in accordance with the protocol and an ethical manner.

Researcher’s signature

I certify that I have considered the ethical implications of the proposed research and believe that the research will be conducted in accordance with the relevant national, international, and Excelsia College policies, guidelines, regulations and legislation.

Supervisor’s signature

Supervisor’s name

Supervisor’s contact details

(email addresses, telephone number/s)

SECTION 2: Checklist

Please circle your response to each of the following questions:

Does the research involve participation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who have been selected as research participants because they are indigenous Australians? YES / NO

Does the research involve any artifacts that are of cultural, spiritual or religious significance to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people? YES / NO

Does the research involve an unusually dependent relationship between the researcher and any of the research participants?

Could the research place research participants in an unusually vulnerable situation? YES / NO

Is there any potential risk (physical, emotional, social or legal) to individual participants’
well being, beyond that normally encountered in everyday life, as a result of their YES / NO
involvement in the research?

Does the research involve the administration or application of drugs and/or Clinical Trial Notification Scheme (CTN) documentation? YES / NO

Is there any reasonable likelihood that the research will result in the reporting of suspected child abuse? YES / NO

Is there any potential risk to the researcher’s safety, beyond that normally encountered in everyday life, as a result of their involvement in the research? YES / NO

Do you plan to vary the usual written consent processes? YES / NO

Is the study known to involve research into illegal activities? YES / NO

Does the study have potential legal implications for the researcher or the Institute? YES / NO

Have you applied for funding for this research (other than Divisional funds)? YES / NO

If YES, please give the name of granting body applied to and the type of grant sought.

The checklist continues on the next page.

Please answer the remaining questions

What research methodologies will you use (tick those applicable)

Anonymous questionnaires

Questionnaires requesting intimate personal, identifying, or sensitive information

Internet questionnaires

Other questionnaires

Face to face interviews which do not request personal or sensitive information

Face to face interviews which request personal or sensitive information

Observation of participant’s usual activities

Focus groups

Observation of an activity set up for the purposes of the study

Action Research

Access to medical records (or records which contain intimate personal information, and

Experiment or testing of a procedure, drug or equipment

are individually identifiable and are not publicly available)

Other

(please specify)

Please tick the group/s from which your sample of participants will be drawn for this study

General public

Children or young people under the age of 18

Friends or family

Patients of a hospital or clinic where you need approval to do the research

Work colleagues

Prisoners or people in the care of correctional services

People with whom you have an ongoing professional relationship (e.g. students or clients)

Members of the armed forces

Other

(please specify) Employees of targeted organisations

In which country is data collection to take place? __________________________

List the organisations where the research will

be undertaken. (Please note that written approval from all organisations must be obtained before the research can commence).

Will the research involve access to individuals, clients or records required from any organisation? YES / NO
If YES, has approval been received from these organisations? YES / NO

Will you access individually identifiable information about participants from any
government department? YES / NO

or

from another organisation (for example a state based register, education department,
hospital, health department, correctional services)? YES / NO

If YES, list the government department(s) and/or organization(s)

Have you received approval to access this information from the government

department(s)/organization(s) listed above? YES / NO

Are the following appendices attached?

· Appendix 1 Reference list

YES / NO

· Appendix 2 Research tools

YES / NO/ Not required for this study

· Appendix 3 Recruitment material

YES / NO/ Not required for this study

· Appendix 4 Information sheet

YES / NO

· Appendix 5 Consent form

YES / NO / Not required for this study

· Appendix 6 Correspondence

YES /NO / Not required for this study

Language of the consent form, information sheet

and any other material provided to research participants if other than English.

How do you intend to report your research?

Thesis/dissertation

Conference presentation

Journal article/s

Commissioned report

Research paper

Other (please specify)

Will research participants have the opportunity to receive a copy of your final report if they wish? YES / NO

Will research participants receive any payment in relation to their participation? YES / NO

(Adapted from http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/Resources/workshop-Ethics%20Protocol/Ethics%20Protocol/EthicsProposal.doc)

SECTION 3: Detailed description of the research

(Adapted from http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/Resources/workshop-Ethics%20Protocol/Ethics%20Protocol/EthicsProposal.doc)
To be completed as a separate document and attached to Sections 1 and 2.

1.1

State the aims of your research

(50-100 words)

1.2

Explain the need for, and value of, your research.

(500 words)

Please note the increased word limit for this aspect of your ethics proposal

2.1

List your research questions or hypotheses.

(50-100 words)

2.2

Outline your research design and methodology.

(250-300 words)

2.3

Indicate whether your research is the first stage of a larger project.

3.1

Who will be approached or recruited to be research participants? How many participants will be involved in your study?

(50-100 words)

3.2

List the selection and, if appropriate to your study, the exclusion criteria for participants.

(50-100 words)

3.3

How will you recruit volunteers for your research?

(200-300 words)

3.4

How will you provide detailed information about your study to potential participants?

(50-100 words)

3.5

Describe how you will obtain consent to participate from those volunteering as participants for your research.

(100-200 words)

3.6

If your research participants will be drawn from any dependent group (people who have an unequal power relationship with you or with an organisation which is cooperating in the research) please detail how will you ensure that participants do not feel under any obligation to assist you with your research as participants.

(100-200 words)

3.7

Describe how you will preserve participants’ confidentiality as you collect and analyse the data and when you report the results.

(50-100 words)

3.8

If there are any potential risks (physical, emotional, social or legal) to individual participants’ well being (beyond those normally encountered in everyday life) as a result of their involvement in the research, detail the steps that will be taken to address these risks including any support facilities such as counselling, debriefings or referrals.

(100-200 words)

3.9

If there are any potential safety implications for yourself as the researcher (beyond those normally encountered in everyday life) please indicate how these will be addressed.

 

3.10

If research participants will receive any payment, reimbursement or other benefit from participation in the research, please detail this and provide a justification for the level of compensation.

4.1

Describe briefly how the research data will be recorded, for example, audiotape, videotape, or written notes.

(50-100 words)

4.2

Describe what you will do with the recorded data once it has been analysed.

(50-100 words)

4.3

Specify who apart from yourself (and your supervisors if applicable) will have access to the research data and results, and any conditions to be placed on that access.

(25-50 words)

5.1

Detail who will own the data and the results of your research.

(25-50 words)

Timelines of the research study

CRICOS Code 02664K
STA-F23 Page 1 of 1 Issue 3, June 2007