Peer Review Committee

• How to progress your ethics application via peer review
• Peer Review Committees and Contacts

The NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research strongly supports the role of peer-review in the process of assessing prospective research projects involving human participants. As a contributor to the national and international innovation systems, UWS strongly supports the National Statement's endorsement of the role of peer review in defining research and ensuring research merit and integrity.

There are two Peer Review Committees (PRC) at UWS:

• Health and Science – covering health, biomedical, public health and psychology.
• Humanities and Social Science – covering education, studies in human society, language, communication and cultural research and business.

Peer Review Committees examine the research merit and integrity of: 

• all unfunded* research projects involving human participants, excluding higher degree research candidate projects. 
• all Undergraduate Honours research projects involving human participants. 
• all Postgraduate Coursework projects involving human participants.

*Funded projects are defined as follows: 

1. Research funds are in a project account established by the Office of Research Services 
2. Category 5 (but unfunded) NHMRC outcomes.  A Category 5 outcome is defined as fundable but insufficient funding available, hence these projects have been peer reviewed and assessed as if they were funded. 

PRCs also consider the risk implications of proposed human research studies. 

PRCs bring together experienced and research active UWS staff from across the broad disciplines to examine the research merit and integrity of a range of unfunded staff and student projects involving human participants. Each PRC is chaired by an Associate Pro Vice- Chancellor (Research).

Research candidate projects are excepted because they go through a quality review process as part of their Early Candidature Plan and Confirmation of Candidature.

How to Progress your Ethics application via Peer Review Committee

If you are a staff member and your research is unfunded you should forward your ethics application to the relevant PRC:

• Save the NEAF application as a PDF document using the chief investigator's surname to identify the document.
• Send soft copy of NEAF and all core attachments to the relevant Peer Review Committee.
• The PRC will forward the NEAF to the Ethics Officer after they have finalised review of the research merit and integrity of the application.
  

If you are a student (Postgraduate Coursework or 4th year Honours):

• Save the NEAF application as a PDF document using your supervisor's surname to identify the document.
• Your supervisor must submit the application by sending a soft/electronic copy of NEAF and all core attachments to the relevant Peer Review Committee.

There may be a number of core attachments in addition to the application form (NEAF) that will be needed to complete your human ethics application. Please ensure that these are provided with the NEAF. For more information please see Applying for Human Ethics.

Peer Review Committees and Contacts

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