Human Ethics
What is Human research?
Human research is ‘research conducted with or about people, or their data or tissues and includes:
- taking part in surveys, interviews or focus groups;
- undergoing psychological, physiological or medical testing or treatment;
- being observed by researchers;
- researchers having access to their personal documents or other materials;
- the collection and use of their body organs, tissues or fluids or their exhaled breath;
- access to their information (in individually identifiable, re-identifiable or non-identifiable form)
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
The Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC) is registered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and is constituted in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2025.
MUHREC reviews all research conducted by Monash University staff or students involving human participants and primarily considers issues that constitute integrity, respect for persons, beneficence, justice, consent, research merit and safety. The primary role of MUHREC is to protect the welfare and rights of participants in research and the primary responsibility of each member is to decide, independently, whether, in their opinion, the conduct of each research proposal will so protect participants.
