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Overview of ethical conduct of research

To protect the welfare and rights of participants involved in research, it is essential that research is conducted in an ethical manner. All individuals and organisations involved with research have a role to play in facilitating and making sure that research is conducted ethically.

The ethical conduct of research is a shared responsibility.

Researchers who conduct and design research, organisations which employ researchers and/or fund research, Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) which review research, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) which publishes guidelines about research all have a role in ensuring that research is conducted ethically.

Australia has an ethical review system whereby each research project is reviewed by an HREC to determine if the proposed research adheres to general ethical principles and is hence considered to be ethically acceptable. These principles are integrity, respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

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