This paper presents the best practices used by institutional review boards (IRBs) and human research protections programs (HRPPs) to prepare online graduate student investigators for human research protections specific to research within online graduate degree programs or where research supervisors are not proximal to graduate student…

There has been considerable debate around the ethical issues raised by data-driven technologies such as artificial intelligence. Ethical principles for the field have focused on the need to ensure that such technologies are used for good rather than harm, that they enshrine principles of social justice and fairness, that they protect privacy,…

This article examines the development, impact and integration of interdisciplinary approaches in British Higher Education Institutions. It evaluates how the concept of interdisciplinarity has become popularised over time and embraced by disciplines such as archaeology. It then explores the extent to which interdisciplinary approaches have impacted…

For researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand who intend to conduct research with people, it is common practice to first ensure that their proposals are approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). HRECs take the role of reviewing, approving or rejecting research proposals and deciding on whether the intended research will be completed in the…

A previous research ethics article by the authors provided evidence to support the claim that the New Zealand Ethics Committee (NZEC) was a powerless ethics committee. Ethics review applicants were not formally obliged to seek ethics review, and any committee recommendations were given on a 'take it or leave it' basis. One year later, the capacity…

This article extends recent discussions on the practical, epistemological, and ethical challenges of participatory action research (PAR) for community-engaged scholars through a cross-disciplinary literature review. It focuses on how practitioners across fields define power, engage with conventional research approval processes, and manage risk.…

This essay responds to an article, 'Variation in university research ethics review', published in this issue. It argues that the authors of that paper do not fully distinguish the usual function of university research ethics committees (RECs) from that of a gatekeeper. The latter term more accurately describes the task they happen to have asked…

This study examines a significant gap in the role of providing ethical guidance and support for community-based research. University and health-based ethical review committees in New Zealand predominantly serve as 'gatekeepers' that consider the ethical implications of a research design in order to protect participants and the institution from…

In 2016, Dalhousie University's Research Ethics Board created an interdisciplinary working group to identify the key ethical challenges of SoTL research, with the overarching aim of recommending best practices and communicating these to researchers in order to support and expand the conduct of ethically sound SoTL research. This essay reflects on…

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is engaged in a variety of efforts to document the current state of institutional research. In 2012, the Association initiated a critically important effort to identify the tasks involved in the work of institutional research (IR) across all titles and variations represented in its membership. This…

Far from allowing a governance of universities by the invisible hand of market forces, research performance assessments do not just measure differences in research quality, but yield themselves visible symptoms in terms of a stratification and standardization of disciplines. The article illustrates this with a case study of UK history departments…

The principal ethics committee in Australia's Capital, Canberra, underwent a major revision in the last three years based on changes debated in the literature. Committee or Board structure varies widely; regulations determining minimum size and membership differ between countries. Issues such as the effectiveness of committee management,…

Graduate students must complete a research project to receive their degree. In addition to this basic requirement, the student may be required to submit a research proposal and application to the governing Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval prior to beginning the research project. This article describes the IRB process and offers tips…

The Technical Panel on 12th Grade Preparedness Research, convened by the Governing Board, consists of seven members with expertise in a variety of measurement and policy areas related to preparedness. The purpose of the Panel was to assist the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) in planning research and validity studies that will enable the…

Describes the role of a research institute director in implementing policy, program, and management changes. Emphasizes the importance of modifying a peer review system to improve funding decisions. Discusses the needs of individuals with disabilities for pragmatic solutions to their problems and the interests of the rehabilitation research…