Research Ethics Committee
Research Ethics Committee
General Information
Research Ethics became an important element of research processes not only in medical science but also in the social sciences and the humanities as research may have consequences for those participating in it, concerning, e.g., data-protection, health, wellbeing, re-traumatization and other issues. Reflecting on potential ethical risks is, therefore, a central component of good scientific practice. Moreover, ethics approvals – obtained before starting empirical research – are mandatory for many high-quality scientific journals if research data shall be published with them.
Since 2024 the Bertha von Suttner Private University institutionalized a Research Ethics Committee and an ethics assessment process to support PhD students and researchers to address ethical issues in the preparation and course of research. It facilitates reflecting on potential ethical risks, problems and challenges related to their projects and to get feedback from the institutionalized Research Ethics Committee of the BSU.
The service can also be requested by researchers from other institutions who need an independent ethics statement. We emphasize, however, that it is not an ethics approval of an ethics commission according to § 30 Abs. 1 UG 2002.
We are looking forward to discussing your project. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at research@suttneruni.at.
Structure
- The entire peer counselling process within the framework of the BSU Research Ethic Committee (REC) is coordinated by the research coordinator. It consists of three parts:
1. Self-Assessment: The researcher seeking advice describes the project on the basis of a questionnaire and carries out a self-assessment of possible ethical issues.
2. REC Meeting: The project is discussed in a REC meeting based on the project documents and self-assessment provided by the researcher. The meeting consists of reviewers from the REC pool and the researcher(s). The meeting is confidential.
3. Documentation and Ethics Statement: The researcher is invited to document learnings concerning ethical issues for themselves, based on the original self-assessment and the feedback from the REC meeting. After the research project has been evaluated positively and (possible) feedback has been incorporated, the research coordinator issues a statement with a case number confirming participation in the counseling process. The statement includes discussion points, recommendations and/or requirements for adjustment/revision.
- Location: REC meetings can take place in person or online.
- Language: The working language for documents and the REC meeting is German and/or English.
Process
- Timing: We expect a total time of approx. 2 months between the first contact and the issue of the confirmation of participation. Consultation meetings are organized as required. Please contact the research coordinator (research@suttneruni.at) taking the processing time into account if you would like to schedule an ethics counselling by the REC.
- Preparation / Self-Assessment: Please complete the Research Ethics for Review Questionnaire and attach relevant files (e.g. Informed Consent documentation).
• Please send the documentation of your research (questionnaire and attachments) latest 3 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting to research@suttneruni.at
• Please prepare a short (ca. 5 min) presentation of your project, with or without slides. - REC Meeting (Consultation Session):
• The meeting (online or face-to-face) starts with a short round of introductions.
• Then you briefly present your project (5 min).
• This is followed by questions, comments and a discussion with the reviewers. - Documentation: Make sure you are prepared to take your own notes during the REC meeting. There will be no official minutes of the meetings.
- Follow up: It is your responsibility to decide about the implementation of the recommendations that are given. We recommend that you document in detail how you deal with ethical issues based on the initial self-assessment and the advice of your peers.
- Completion of the Process / Statement:
• After the meeting, you will receive a statement from the Research Coordinator confirming that you have discussed your project in the BSU REC and that you have received recommendations. This declaration contains a case number.
• Finally, you will be asked to return a short feedback questionnaire to the Research Coordinator.
