Research ethics proposals and applications

The length (level of detail) of your application will be specified by the template you are using, by the ethics committee for your faculty, or by your supervisor

The Ethics Committee for each faculty have their own templates for students to follow. Each is likely to expect the following details:

Researcher information
Your name and contact details and the project title

Focus
A sentence or two that identifies the field of research, the specific topic, and the area of interest to which the research will contribute directly.

Background of the research
Provide a reason why the need for this research has come to your attention.

Justification for the research
Summary of the key themes in the literature, and the gap in knowledge that you have identified. Explain how the findings will contribute to existing knowledge in the field of study.

Research question/s
Framed as actual questions (with question marks).

Recruiting participants
Details about how the participants will be recruited, and how they will give their consent. Pay particular attention to protecting the interests of the participants, especially if they are children, or marginalised/vulnerable members of society.

Cultural safety
Steps to be taken that will acknowledge and protect the cultural protocols and/or practices of all participants. Consideration of the culturally specific requirements of working with participants who may be from a different ethnic, cultural or social background from the researcher.

Ethical considerations
Procedures and parameters for participant informed consent, rights to decline/withdraw, and confidentiality.
Data security with collection and storage.
Conflicts of interest (if any).
Quality assurance.
Potential impact on any parties of the results and mitigating strategies to minimise harm.
Fair dissemination of results/findings.

Intended methodology or research process
Your primary research tool and process of data analysis.