The ability to conduct rigorous research in applied settings constitutes a set of skills that remain highly sought by government and non-government agencies, industry, and academia more generally. An appreciation of ethical conduct throughout the research process is a fundamental part of research projects.

This course aims to provide students with a solid understanding of the principles and practical aspects of ethical conduct in social science research. It seeks to provide the framework to help social science students critically assess their own ethical behaviour throughout the life span of a project - beyond merely complying with regulatory bodies such as HREC.

 

The course is in two parts. Part I sets out first principles of ethical behaviour according to the National Statement of Ethical Conduct in Human Research, as developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). A brief overview of (a) ethical approaches; (b) ethical controversies, and (c) processes of research governance and ethical review, and common antagonisms between researchers and HRECs, is also offered. Part II adopts a narrow-and-deep focus by examining ethical considerations to specific types of participants (eg., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; children and young people, etc)

 

The course is largely applied in nature (research led problem-based learning), and seeks to complement related research methods courses offered in the Master of Social Research degree, and courses taught in other ANU colleges.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. demonstrate they have a firm grasp on the core principles of ethical behaviour and research integrity in the conduct of social research through the life span of a project;
2. identify various forms of risk, and how to best manage these in an ethically responsible manner;
3. understand how HREC works, and its responsibilities and legal obligations;
4. write an ethics protocol to a high standard (including the provision of all support documents and protocols); and
5. critically assess their own ethical conduct and that of their peers.

Research-Led Teaching

An appreciation of ethical conduct throughout the research process is fundamental to all research projects. New technologies, and the rise and rise of social media, growing scrutiny of privacy legislation and data protection, an increasingly complex social world, growing regulatory compliance, and rapidly evolving social, health, economic, and political shifts present many fresh ethical challenges for social scientists, and for Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) more broadly.

This course is predicated on the view that regulatory compliance (ie., procedural ethics) is important but ethical conduct – the moment-by-moment practice of ethics – matters most (i.e., conduct over compliance).

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• understand why research ethics and research integrity matters for social scientists;
• critically assess key ethical considerations in the design, development, review and conduct of social research;
• write a Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form for a hypothetical study, and critically evaluate a hypothetical REMS ethical protocol (1,000 words);
• submit an ethics protocol in REMS; and
• complete an end-of-semester class test covering the course material.

Examination Material or equipment

Online class test (48 hours from when started online) in Wattle. Date TBC

Required Resources

The first few weeks of the course are chunky and cover a lot of ground quickly.

Students should read Chapter 1: Martin M. A., Smyth, B.M., & Downing, M. (2025). Human research ethics and integrity: A tale of respect, merit, justice and beneficence. In B. Smyth, M. A. Martin & M. Downing (Eds), The Routledge handbook of human research ethics and integrity in Australia (pp. 3–13). Routledge.

I recommend students buy the textbook and read it prior to starting the course: Israel, M. (2015). Research Ethics and Integrity for Social Scientists: Beyond regulatory compliance (2nd ed). London: Sage. (The 1st edition is out of date but can be downloaded at: https://epdf.pub/research-ethics-for-social-scientists.html)

Required readings, resources, discussion and notices will be posted on the class Wattle page. Participants are expected to check the Wattle page regularly – specifically the Course Noticeboard, Class Forum and main SOCR8015 page. Participants are encouraged to contribute to online discussions and forums.

To access the class page, login to Wattle at: https://wattle.anu.edu.au/

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Course overview; Historical context; Emerging issues; Codes, guidelines & principles
2	Procedural ethics & Research Integrity
3	Anonymity, confidentiality, privacy, and data security and management plans
4	Assignment preparation but reading for Week 5	No class: PIS & Consent form assignment due
5	Aboriginal and Torres Islander Peoples ethics
6	Research Ethics Management System (REMS) & the Human Research Ethics Application (HREA) form
7	Student-led topics	Reaction paper to student-led topic
8	Student-led topics	Reaction paper to student-led topic
9	Student-led topics	Reaction paper to student-led topic
10	Student-led topics	Reaction paper to student-led topic
11	Student-led topics	Reaction paper to student-led topic
12	Reflexive knowledge sharing session	Class test

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Development of a Participant Information Sheet, Written Consent Form, and Oral Consent Script	20 %	11/03/2025	2
Student-led session	20 %	15/04/2025	1,2,3,4,5
Written responses to student-led topics in Week 7–12	30 %	22/04/2025	1,2,3,4,5
Human Research Ethics Application and supporting materials	30 %	19/05/2025	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

As above

Examination(s)

Class test.

Assessment Task 1

Development of a Participant Information Sheet, Written Consent Form, and Oral Consent Script

The Participant Information Sheet (PIS) is the most important written document in any ethics application, along with the consent form/script. This assignment requires the development of a PIS and consent forms for a research project.

Assessment Task 2

Student-led session

Student-led sessions are intended to be informative research-led seminars/workshops that provide peers with insight into a particular ethics- or integrity-related topic.. The format is flexible to allow for creativity and engaging pedagogy.

 

Specifically, students will be invited to pick a topic from chapters in: Smyth, B. M., Martin, M. A., & Downing, M. (Eds.). (2025) Routledge Handbook of Human Research Ethics and Integrity in Australia. Routledge.

 

Suggested approach: (a) The student-lead will provide readings the week prior; other students will be expected to have read prior to the class; (b) convenor will set up topic with a preamble; (c) student-lead will discuss practical & ethical challenges related to their own project or related case studies; (d) develop an activity or set of activities for class to apply to own projects; (e) followed up by leading the final group discussion, feedback and key learnings. Other approaches can be adopted in consultation with the course convenor.

Assessment Task 3

Written responses to student-led topics in Week 7–12

Students will be required to write brief key learnings from other students' overviews of selected topics each week, and submit each week.

To ensure the everyone has some knowledge of the topic for each student-led session, the class will be provided with 2-4 references on the topic(s) under discussion each week. Prior to each week’s class, students need to have read at least one of the core readings for that class and then write a brief reaction paper comprising 500 words (+/- 50 words). This needs to be submitted by 11.59pm the night prior to each class.

Reaction papers are not a formal piece of writing: they are simply your reactions to one or two of the readings for class for each topic. Imagine writing a blog post on the topic. That said, it should be coherently structured, well written, and include standard author-date referencing of sources. When approaching each reaction paper, initially you might focus on, for instance: (a) the key take-home message for you; (b) whether you agree or disagree with any of the ideas and why; (c) whether any ethical issues were raised for you and why; (d) whether the issues changed your thinking one way or another; or (e) some other angle of your choice.

For each reaction paper, marks out of 5 will be based on: point(s) of interest, depth of analysis within the word limit, critical analysis (i.e., whether you can contrast with different perspective or add depth to the ideas in the readings).

Objectives of this piece of assessment

The main goals of this piece of assessment is to provide flexibility for students to engage critically with subject content, according to student’s interest areas (either existing or emergent areas of interest). Moreover, the assessment is designed to (a) progressively add to your knowledge on a relevant topic over several weeks; and (b) provide a platform for sufficient pre-class preparation so that students can actively participate in weekly class discussions. Lastly, reaction papers are a low stakes opportunity (i.e., 5% each) for you to explore topics of interest with assessment ongoing in small chunks in the second half of the course.

Assessment Task 4

Human Research Ethics Application and supporting materials

The final (and major) piece of summative assessment is an ethics protocol. This assignment should be completed using REMS.

 

To complete this assessment, you are required to attend the in-class REMS training session in Week 6. If you are unable to attend this, you will need to attend one of the training sessions offered by ANU Human Research Ethics Office.  Students are encouraged to develop their protocol for their PhD research project.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

Please use Turnitin.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students