RIMS

All Griffith ethics approval applications and reports are submitted and managed via RIMS

All proposed human research at Griffith must undergo an ethical review and clearance

All proposed human research at Griffith must undergo an ethical review and gain ethical clearance before any work commences, unless the project is outside the scope of the University’s human research arrangements. Starting a project without authorisation is a serious ethical concern and may initiate breach proceedings as per the Griffith Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

Levels of review

At Griffith, we have varying levels of ethics review. Completing the questionnaire at the beginning of your review application in RIMS can help determine which level applies to your project. The questionnaire can also help determine if your planned research activity falls outside the scope of our research ethics arrangements or if it’s exempt from ethics review.

Level of review Applies to Application process
Negligible risk (NR)

Negligible-risk research

Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the Negligible-risk review pathway will normally be provided within 14 working days from the date the CI approved the application.

Proportional Review Form in RIMS
Expedited ethics review level 1 (E1)

Research with no more than a low risk of harm and no significant ethical issues

Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the E1 review pathway will normally be provided within 15 working days from the date the CI approved the application.

Proportional Review Form in RIMS
Expedited ethics review level 2 (E2)

Research with no more than a low risk of harm and addressed ethical issues

Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the E2 review pathway will normally be provided within 20 working days from the date the CI approved the application.

Proportional Review Form in RIMS
Full review (FR)

Research that doesn't qualify for review via the NR, E1 or E2 pathways. Complete the new HREA online, create a PDF, then create a new ethics application in RIMS. Please submit application with HREA and all supporting documents on RIMS for processing.

Please allow up to 10 working days following the meeting for the initial review outcome.

Human Research Ethics Application and Proportional Review Form in RIMS
Prior review (PR)

Special review for research that another research ethics committee has already approved. See Booklet 8 of the GUREM for details

Initial review outcomes for applications referred to the Prior review pathway will normally be provided within 7 working days from the date the CI approved the application.

Proportional Review Form in RIMS
Variations Special review for variations to approved projects Via an email to research-ethics@griffith.edu.au as per Booklet 6 of the GUREM
Course clearances (CC) Coursework and undergraduate student projects. See GUREM Booklet 20Proportional Review Form in RIMS

For more information, see the hints and tips sheet (PDF 360k) about the University’s ethics review arrangements.

Ethics review application and Resources

The following resources provide further instructions on how to prepare for all types of ethics applications and reports:

Ethics application process

  1. Create and submit a new application in RIMS. This includes expedited (proportional) reviews, full reviews, prior reviews and course clearances. Refer to the quick reference guide for instructions.
  2. The chief investigator and the head of school or centre director must approve the ethics application submission within RIMS . Refer to Section D of the Quick Reference Guide for instructions. A research ethics reviewer, the chair and/or the committee will then review the submission. Full approval, conditional approval or provisional approval will be emailed.
  3. If you don’t receive full approval, ensure you respond directly to every condition or concern raised. Provide copies of any amended recruitment and/or informed consent materials using ‘track changes’. Your response will be assessed and, if appropriate, you’ll receive full research ethics approval.

Progress reports and final reports

All human research projects with an active ethics clearance are monitored. Each year, RIMS will require a progress reports on active projects. A final report is required to close the ethics protocol when data collection for a project is complete. The process for submitting an annual progress report or final report is almost the same as submitting a new application. Refer to Section C of the Quick Reference Guide for instructions.

Register of Approved Procedures

Griffith researchers, centres or schools can register routine procedures, such as questionnaires, recruitment mechanisms and responses to a common ethical issues. Even though a project with a registered procedure will still require ethics review, applicants can indicate the procedure will be conducted as per the register. Only context-specific issues of the registered procedure will be reviewed, not the details of the procedure. For further information about these arrangements, refer to Booklet 11 of the GUREM.

Course Approvals

Please consult Booklet 20 of the Griffith University Research Ethics Manual (GUREM) prior to submitting any paperwork. If you believe the course qualifies for review outside of the GUHREC please complete an online application via RIMS and attach the course application addendum. The course application form is used if you believe the project requires GUHREC review. The student application form is completed by a student undertaking the course and is submitted as per the courses' processes. The course Report form is completed by the course convenor every time the course is run.

EXTERNAL RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT GRIFFITH - DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

In light of the operational impact of the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Griffith University has decided to no longer permit the conduct of human research with our students and staff as participants. This position does not apply to circumstances where a Griffith University researcher is a member of the project.

For more information, see Information Sheet #1 (PDF 139k) about this change.

Contact us

For more information regarding human ethics at Griffith, call (07) 3735 2069 or email us