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Human Research Ethics

All Deakin staff members and students who plan to carry out research involving human participants, require ethical clearance from the Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC) before proceeding.

Research involving humans includes, but is not limited to, surveys, interviews, exercises, experiments (both psychological and physical), close observation, depiction (including photographs and videos), use of identifiable personal records, etc.

The University Human Ethics website is updated regularly to reflect changes in policy and procedure and should be the principal reference for staff and students.

Slides from the Human Research Ethics presentation for Business and Law (96 KB) held in April 2008 are available.

Applications for Expedited Review

Expedited Review is a process suitable only for low-risk projects that do not require multi-centre or co-ordinated ethical approval.

Business and Law staff and students may make an application for Expedited Review directly through the Faculty Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG). If an application is determined to be low risk, the Faculty HEAG will perform the ethical review of the application. If the application is determined to be greater than low risk, it will be forwarded to the Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC) for consideration. This process is outlined in the expedited review flowchart (56 KB) and detailed in the step-by-step instructions following.

Applications for Expedited Review in Business and Law may be submitted throughout the year, however it is preferable they be submitted by the advertised deadline for Faculty HEAG meetings.

Step-by-step instructions for submitting an application for Expedited Review in the Faculty of Business and Law

1. Read and follow the information and guidelines on applying for project approval.
2. Register to use NEAF (both student researcher and supervisor can have password access)
3. In consultation with your supervisor, complete the NEAF form and supplementary documentation (which includes links to relevant sections of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) supplementary forms and templates for the Plain Language Statement and Consent Forms (non clinical)).
4. Advise your supervisor and/or Honours Coordinator that the form has been completed and is ready for final review.
5. Save the completed form as a PDF.
6. Save the completed attachments (supplementary forms, Plain Language Statement, Consent Form/s) as Word files.
7. Print the form and attachments.
8. Complete the application for Expedited Review form and save as a PDF.
9. Sign forms and obtain signatures of supervisor and Head of School (where applicable)
10. Send:
    
    • all signed forms and attachments to: Katrina Fleming, Faculty of Business and Law, Geelong Campus.
    • electronic version of forms and attachments by email attachment to: Katrina.fleming@deakin.edu.au for circulation to the HEAG members

The application for Expedited Review and supporting documentation is sent to the Faculty HEAG Chair for a determination of risk. Applications determined to be low risk will be given a number and then circulated to the HEAG members for expedited ethical review.

Deadlines for Faculty Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG) meetings in 2008:

Notification of Outcomes
The HEAG recommendations and details of the review will be emailed to the researcher, normally within a week of the meeting. HEAG meeting dates are listed above.
Once any amendments required have been made to the satisfaction of the HEAG, the researcher will be sent a formal letter of approval. This letter will outline the conditions of approval and any further requirements to be completed before the project can commence.
Applications determined not to be low risk by the HEAG will be forwarded directly to the DUHREC for full review at the next scheduled meeting. The researcher will be notified by email of the outcome of the full review by the DUHREC Secretary within three to four weeks of the meeting date. DUHREC meeting dates are listed at the University Human Ethics website.

It should be noted that the HEAG and/or DUHREC may need to audit a project as part of the requirements for monitoring set out in the National Statement on Ethical in Human Research (2007)

If ethics approval is granted, you will need to submit a final report (125 KB) to the HEAG Secretary by the end of the year for which the project was approved.

Faculty HEAG contact
If you have any questions regarding human research ethics, including Expedited Review, meeting dates, submission and reporting, please contact

Katrina Fleming ,
Ethics Secretariat,
Business and Law,
Ph: 52 273362, Fax 52 271251
Email katrina.fleming@deakin.edu.au