Research Ethics

Human research conducted by students and staff of the University of Melbourne requires ethical approval

In 2020, Human Research Ethics Committees were restructured to bring together disciplines that use similar research methods. The combining of cognate disciplines is intended to enhance application reviews and enable workload sharing. To align with the National Statement, the committees are referred to as Greater-than-Low-Risk (GTLR), and Low-and-Negligible-Risk (LNR) committees. The committee reviewing your application will depend on the nature of the research project and the type of application required. More information about research ethics and integrity can be found on the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity (OREI) Human Ethics webpage.

Application process

Ethics applications are no longer processed within the School. Instead, they are submitted centrally through the new Infonetica ERM system. A step-by-step guide is available to give you more information about how to make an application, and the process of getting approved.

Document templates

The OREI Human Ethics team provides templates for your Plain Language Statement (PLS) and Consent Form on the Research Gateway. Some projects require a Debriefing Statement (generally, any project that involves participants from the Research Experience Program, or requires deception of any participants), and we encourage you to provide one for any project in which you are collecting data from human participants. You can download the School’s Debriefing Statement template here.

Key contacts

If you have a query related to human ethics, begin by checking the OREI Human Ethics webpage, including the step-by-step guide to applying for approval and a library of answers to frequently asked questions. General enquiries may be sent to the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity using the following link to a Service now request, and a member of the OREI team will be in contact with you.

Service now request form

Other key contacts