How to write a good ethics application

HUMAN ETHICS RESOURCES

By investing time in the planning and documentation of your ethics application, the time
taken to receive ethics approval can be minimised.

1. Tips for obtaining ethics approval in

the minimum time frame
2. Tips for preparing good application
documents

How to obtain ethics approval Guidance and help to assist in gaining ethics approval in the
shortest time.
Principal guidelines and resources A list of guidelines and resources that you will find useful.

Tips for obtaining ethics approval in the minimum time frame

The following tips will assist you in developing a good ethics application and; therefore, in
obtaining ethics approval in the minimum timeframe.

Allow time
The ethics review and approval process is an integral, and potentially time-consuming, part of
any human research project. Gaining ethics approval is not a step in the process that should be
left to the last minute.

A high quality ethics application takes time and planning. Therefore, researchers are strongly
urged to allow themselves sufficient time to develop a well-designed and well-documented ethics
application that addresses all relevant ethics issues.

Communicate clearly
Use plain language in your application documents. Ethics reviewers are unlikely to be experts in
your research field and, most importantly, the participants in your research need information
expressed to them in terms that can be clearly understood by non-experts in a field of study.

Ensure your application is self-explanatory and self-sufficient

It is a requirement for post-graduate and PhD research projects that a copy of the full research
proposal accompanies the ethics application document package. In the case of other, complex,
research proposals, it would also be prudent to attach a copy of the full proposal.

However, the ethics application form and accompanying documents must be capable of being
read, reviewed and approved as self-explanatory documents that justify the research proposal.
Therefore, researchers should not include cryptic explanations of procedures in the ethics
application form, with a direction for ethics reviewers to seek the necessary detail in a lengthy
document describing the full protocol.

Use the guidelines available to help you

The human research ethics web site includes a number of guidelines to assist you in designing
your research project and preparing your application documents. Please use those guidelines to
ensure that your application meets the required standards.

Use the correct forms

Forms and procedures are sometimes modified and updated by the HREO. Applications on
superseded documents will be returned to researchers, thus delaying your ethics approval.

Please use a new application form and a new risk assessment checklist for every application by
downloading these documents from the human research ethics web site each time you submit an
application. Do not use old, ‘recycled’ application documents stored on your computer.

Ensure your application package is complete

Submit a complete package of all required documents. If some documents are missing, this will
delay the processing of your application.

Label your documents

An ethics application will usually include a number of separate documents. Please clearly label
each document when you save it to your computer. When the documents are transmitted to
HREO for processing, clearly labelled documents help in reducing processing time for your
application.

Place yourself in the role of a participant

When explaining your project and considering the ethics issues that it may involve, place
yourself in the role of a potential participant in your own project. What issues and concerns
might you have about the project before agreeing to participate and what information and
reassurances would you want a researcher to provide.