Human Research Ethics

Ethical Conduct in Human Research

It is required that all research involving or impacting on humans is performed in an ethical manner. Such conduct is guided by the following Principles of Human Research Ethics:

1. Research merit and integrity: research must be worthwhile, and have value to the community
2. Respect for human beings: individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and that persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection
3. Beneficence: the obligation to maximise possible benefits and minimise possible harms
4. Justice: addressing the resolution of the question of who ought to receive the benefits of research and bear its burdens

Such principles help guide researchers to develop and conduct research in a way that is:

• Safe
• Respectful
• Responsible
• High quality

Ethical practice is also underpinned by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The current legislative basis of the Council is the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (the Act). The Act ascertains that the functions of the Australian Health Ethics Committee are:

• to advise the Council on ethical issues relating to health
• to develop and give the Council guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans
• such other functions as the Minister from time to time determines

The Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) is a principal committee of the NHMRC. The Act sets out AHEC's functions, which are to advise NHMRC on ethical issues relating to health and developing guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans. The AHEC's functions also include the promotion of community debate on health ethics issues, the monitoring of human research ethics committees (HRECs) and the monitoring and advising of international developments in health ethics.

The Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee

Victoria University is serviced by the Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee (VUHREC) and the Low Risk Human Research Ethics Committee (LRHREC). The HRECs are responsible for ensuring that research projects involving humans adhere to ethical principles and conform to relevant legal requirements.