Ethics

The Singapore Statement on Research Integrity (2010), developed during the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity in 2010, foregrounds the importance of adhering to “particular principles and professional responsibilities that are fundamental to the integrity of research wherever it is undertaken”. This requires that all researchers should acknowledge and enact the principles of honesty and accountability and endeavour to display professional courtesy, fairness and good stewardship toward all persons involved in any scientific inquiry.

To this end, the BaSSREC-team is committed to advise and assist you to the best of our ability to comfortably (yet critically) navigate your way through the ethics process. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions relating to your ethics application.

When do you submit an ethics application to BaSSREC?

This ethics committee manages all low and minimal-level research ethics applications from the Faculty of Humanities (excluding the School of Languages) on the three campuses of the NWU that involve non-health research with human participants. Refer to the risk-level descriptors page below for more information.

Please consult the following pages which will guide you through the steps of the ethics application, the documents that you are required to complete and submit and our contact details.

To determine whether you should submit a no risk, low or minimal risk or medium or high risk ethics application, consult the Risk levels-tab below and complete the following document and submit along with your ethics application.
 

No risk studies

All studies, regardless of its risk-level, should be submitted to the applicable Scientific Committee and BaSSREC for approval.

If the Scientific Committee labels your study as being “no risk”, please follow the following steps related to ethics approval submission:

  • Ensure that you receive an official letter from the chairperson of the Scientific Committee which clearly indicates that your study is considered as being “no risk”.
  • Furthermore, the chairperson of this committee should, as part of the noted letter, include a scientific justification for why the study is considered as posing “no risk”.
  • Complete the form below (i.e. CHECKLIST TO GUIDE RESEARCHERS AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FULL ETHICS REVIEW).
  • Ensure that the researcher, project leader/supervisor and Scientific Committee chairperson sign this form.
  • Submit this form along with your research proposal via email to the BaSSREC administrator (Ms Yvette van der Merwe) and BaSSREC chairperson (Prof Jacques Rothmann).
  • Please note: Do not submit any “No risk”-ethics application on InfoED.
  • The BaSSREC chairperson will send the application for review and provide you with feedback.

Complete, sign and submit the following document for the purpose of your “No Risk”-ethics application.

No post facto ethics approval will be granted

In an email dated 11 November 2019, the Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation, professor Mirna Nel, communicated the following information relating to retrospective ethics approval for studies:
 
Please note that if there are still students and projects where data have been collected but there is no ethics approval (including no and low risk studies) no post facto approval can be given. After 30 January 2020 the study leader and student will have to take responsibility to re-collect data (with ethics approval), as submission of the study for examination will not be allowed otherwise. No exceptions will be made in this regard.

How do you submit your ethics application to BaSSREC?

Please email your full application to Yvette van der Merwe and  submit it on the InfoEd portal (this is a NWU Research Office requirement).

You submit amendments and monitoring reports via email to Yvette van der Merwe.

NWU Gatekeeper approvals: Process, documentation and dates

Please note that all research conducted with NWU staff and students require NWU Gatekeeper approval from the NWU Registrar.

You apply for this after you have been granted ethics approval. The BaSSREC and HSSREC are not involved in this process – please direct your queries directly to Mr Nkosinathi Machine.

The dates for the NWU Registrar’s gatekeeper meetings for 2021 include the following. Please note that the agenda for these meetings closes seven days prior to the meeting.

  • 19 April 2021
  • 20 May 2021
  • 28 June 2021
  • 13 July 2021
  • 23 August 2021
  • 15 September 2021
  • 22 October 2021
  • 22 November 2021
  • 7 December 2021

Documents to include as part of your NWU Gatekeeper application:

  • The NWU Gatekeeper Application Form: Click here to access this form.
  • The ethics committee approval letter/certificate.
  • The approved research proposal.
  • The signed and approved informed consent statement/leaflet.
  • Examples of the data collection instruments (e.g. questionnaire; interview guide; interview schedule).

 

Submit your application to Mr Nkosinathi Machine at least seven days before the specific meeting.

How does submission via InfoEd work?

Email Mr Nkosinathi Machine to request him to create a link to your unique InfoEd profile:

Include the following details in your email:

  • Your full names and surname
  • Student or staff number
  • Email address
  • School or research focus area/unit your programme/degree is under
  • Title of email: InfoEd Profile Request for Ethics Application

Mr Machine will then create a profile and forward you the log in details.

For the InfoEd website link, click here.

You are also welcome to consult the following presentation to guide you through the InfoEd process. If you experience any problems with InfoEd, please contact Mr Machine.

Steps in the ethics application process

Very important: ALL complete ethics applications have to be submitted via email to Yvette van der Merwe or  Dr Jacques Rothmann:

Risk levels

COVID-19 information for researchers

Important documentation and templates to include in your ethics application

Ethics approval for Honours studies

Please consult the following guidelines to apply for ethical approval for Honours studies (including those studies that form part of a research module of a particular discipline).

Resources

Ethics training

As part of your ethics application, the supervisor and primary investigator (e.g. postgraduate student) have to submit proof of Ethics Training. Proof of such training should accompany your ethics application. The BaSSREC and HSSREC Committees are in the process of compiling Ethics Training for students and staff in the Faculty of Humanities. As soon as this training is available we will inform our staff and students.

In the meantime, if you have not completed any ethics training before, you need to choose between the following two options:

MacQuarie University Online Social Science Ethics Training

The MacQuarie University offers this free online educational resource which focuses on the specific ethical issues social science and humanities students encounter in their research. The training module comprise six components. Read through each of the six parts and then complete the quiz related to the material. After the successful completion of the quiz you will be issued with a certificate that you have to attach to your ethics application.

Click on the following link to register and complete their Social Sciences Ethics Training Course: https://ethicstraining.mq.edu.au/

OR

TRREE Online Ethics Training

If you are unable to attend any of the above sessions or rather prefer to do so, you may complete the following free online Training and Resources In Research Ethics Evaluation (TRREE) modules:

After the successful completion of each module, you will be provided with four certificates that you have to attach to your ethics application.

Important dates for 2021

Contact persons and submissions

Prof Jacques Rothmann

Chair: Basic and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (BaSSREC)

018 299 1595

21081719@nwu.ac.za

 

Ms Yvette van der Merwe

Committee administrative coordinator

018 285 2301

13128388@nwu.ac.za