The Human Research Ethics Committee

The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and the Delegated Ethics Review Committees (DERCs) consider the ethical implications of proposals for human research in all disciplines. Protocols (as ethics applications are known) are considered in disciplines as diverse as anthropology, history, epidemiology, psychology and sociology. The National Statement allows institutions to establish levels of ethical review for research involving no more than low risk, and indicates the ways by which this may be implemented.

• Human Research Ethics Committee

• Humanities & Social Sciences Delegated Ethics Review Committee (DERC)

• Science & Medicine Delegated Ethics Review Committee (DERC)

• Submission and Meeting dates

• Ethics Office

Ethical Review

A new three-level classification of ethical risk will be used to simplify the preparation and ethical review of protocols, and to streamline the ethical review of low-risk protocols.  To assist in the introduction of the new system, and also to improve the efficiency of administration, the ANU is introducing a new on-line application form in the ANU Research Enterprise System ARIES.  The new system draws from an approach to ethical review that has been used successfully at Griffith University for a number of years.

1. Low-risk protocols E1 (Expedited Level 1 – E1) engage participants only in activities that they would encounter in normal everyday life.
2. Low-risk protocols E2 (Expedited Level 2 – E2) engage participants who are fully competent and not vulnerable in research settings that are in a relatively benign way not what the participants would encounter in everyday life.
3. High-risk protocols (Full review - F) engage participants who are in some way vulnerable, or research settings that a particularly unusual or uncomfortable.

The on-line application form is self-classifying in respect of the level of ethical risk, using desiderata derived from the National Statement.  The form itself determines the amount of information required to assess and review the ethical risk of a project.  Low-risk research involves a very simple form.

1. Low-risk protocols (Level E1) will be reviewed and approved by the Chair of the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee.  A low-risk protocol will normally entail no request for adjustment.  If no adjustment is requested, a low-risk protocol normally will be approved within 5 working days of submission.
2. Low-risk protocols (Level E2) will be considered and approved by a Delegated Ethics Review Committee (DERC)
3. High-risk protocols (Full review) will be considered and approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee