All proposed human research at Griffith must undergo an ethical review and clearance
All proposed human research at Griffith must undergo an ethical review and gain ethical clearance before any work commences, unless the project is outside the scope of the University’s human research arrangements. Starting a project without authorisation is a serious ethical concern and may initiate breach proceedings as per the Griffith Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
Levels of review
At Griffith, we have varying levels of ethics review. Please select the correct review level from the list of applications in Ethics IQ.
Note: Minimal/Low risk ethics applications can be submitted at any time as they are reviewed on a continual basis.
| Level of review | Applies to | Application process |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal risk (MR) | Minimal-risk research Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the Minimal-risk review pathway will normally be provided within 14 working days from the date the CI approved the application. | Human Ethics - Low Risk Application |
| Expedited ethics review level 1 (E1) | Research with no more than a low risk of harm and no significant ethical issues Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the E1 review pathway will normally be provided within 15 working days from the date the CI approved the application. | Low Risk Application |
| Expedited ethics review level 2 (E2) | Research with no more than a low risk of harm and addressed ethical issues Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the E2 review pathway will normally be provided within 20 working days from the date the CI approved the application. | Low Risk Application |
| Full review (FR) | Research that doesn't qualify for review via the MR, E1 or E2 pathways. Please submit a Human Ethics Application - HREA form. This process is now completed directly within Ethics IQ, eliminating the need to download the HREA from the NHMRC website. Please allow up to 10 working days following the meeting for the initial review outcome. | Human Research Ethics Application |
| Prior review (PR) | Special review for research that another research ethics committee has already approved. See Booklet 8 of the GUREM for details Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the Prior review pathway will normally be provided within 7 working days from the date the CI approved the application. | Prior Review Application |
| Amendments | Amendments to approved projects | Amendment request |
| Course clearances (CC) | Coursework and undergraduate student projects. See GUREM Booklet 20 | Low Risk Application |
For more information, see the hints and tips sheet (PDF 360k) about the University’s ethics review arrangements.
Your work may be out of scope or exempt from ethics
Griffith University defines some research activities as not being human research (falling outside the scope of the University’s human research ethics arrangements) and some other activities, which may have the characteristics of human research, as being exempt from research ethics review.
To determine whether your activities may be out of scope or exempt, please see the following leaflets.
Ethics review application and Resources
The following resources provide further instructions on how to prepare for all types of ethics applications and reports:
- Training Modules - Learning@Griffith
- Quick videos and FAQS - Ethics IQ
- Example Human Research Ethics Application
- Example templates for participant information and consent forms
- Social Media Flowchart
Ethics application process
- Create and submit a new application in Ethics IQ. This includes expedited (proportional) reviews, full reviews, prior reviews and course clearances.
- The chief investigator and the head of school or centre director must approve the ethics application submission within Ethics IQ . A research ethics reviewer, the chair and/or the committee will then review the submission. Full approval, conditional approval or provisional approval will be emailed.
- If you don’t receive full approval, ensure you respond directly to every condition or concern raised. Provide copies of any amended recruitment and/or informed consent materials using ‘track changes’. Your response will be assessed and, if appropriate, you’ll receive full research ethics approval.
Progress reports and final reports
All human research projects with an active ethics clearance are monitored. Each year, Ethics IQ will require a progress reports on active projects. A final report is required to close the ethics protocol when data collection for a project is complete. The process for submitting an annual progress report or final report is almost the same as submitting a new application.
Register of Approved Procedures
Griffith researchers, centres or schools can register routine procedures, such as questionnaires, recruitment mechanisms and responses to a common ethical issues. Even though a project with a registered procedure will still require ethics review, applicants can indicate the procedure will be conducted as per the register. Only context-specific issues of the registered procedure will be reviewed, not the details of the procedure. For further information about these arrangements, refer to Booklet 11 of the GUREM.
Course Approvals
Please consult Booklet 20 of the Griffith University Research Ethics Manual (GUREM) prior to submitting any paperwork. If you believe the course qualifies for review outside of the GUHREC please complete an online application via RIMS and attach the course application addendum. The course application form is used if you believe the project requires GUHREC review. The student application form is completed by a student undertaking the course and is submitted as per the courses' processes. The course Report form is completed by the course convenor every time the course is run.
EXTERNAL RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT GRIFFITH - DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Griffith is no longer accepting applications from external organisations. If you do not work or study at Griffith and would like to include our community of staff, students or alumni in your study, please seek a researcher at Griffith who will collaborate with you on your project.
Contact us
For more information regarding human ethics at Griffith, call (07) 3735 2069 or email us