Q&A
Q&A
| What is the difference between research ethics and academic ethics? | Both research ethics and academic ethics are professional guidelines researchers must follow, but they focus on different aspects. Research ethics emphasize privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity, aiming to protect research participants. Academic ethics deal with improper research behaviors such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. |
| Who needs to undergo a research ethics review? | All research projects involving "human research" are encouraged to undergo an ethics review. Human research refers to behavioral science studies involving individuals or groups, using intervention, interaction, or identifiable personal data to conduct systematic investigations or academic inquiries. |
| Can internal research projects apply for an external review committee’s review? | According to the regulations of the university's Human Research Ethics Review Committee, all research projects conducted by university faculty, staff, or students as principal investigators must be reviewed and supervised by the university’s ethics committee. Therefore, internal research projects should be submitted for internal review. |
| Can students serve as principal investigators for their research projects, such as master's and doctoral theses or National Science Council undergraduate research projects? | According to university regulations, graduate students and undergraduate research project applicants under the National Science Council must have their advisor serve as the principal investigator, while the student is listed as a co-investigator. |
| How does the principal investigator determine the review category? | Please refer to the NCCU Research Ethics Review website (Home \ Researchers \ Review Categories ) |
| If student data is collected for administrative purposes (e.g., course records, club participation, or health records), does it require ethics review? | If the data is used for research purposes, it must undergo review. |
| Can a non-citizen principal investigator submit a research project for review? | Foreign faculty members at NCCU must submit their research projects for internal review. Non-citizen principal investigators who are not NCCU faculty must include a local scholar as a principal investigator to be eligible for review. |
| Can research projects that clearly qualify for exemption skip the review process? | Whether a study qualifies for exemption must be initially assessed by the university's Human Research Ethics Review Committee. And "exemption" does not mean skipping the review; it means the study is exempt from a full committee discussion or individual reviewer assessment. |
| When should I apply? How long does the review take? | Applications are accepted anytime. Once all materials are prepared, submit them to the Online review system. Based on past experience, the estimated processing time is:
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| For research lasting more than one year or extended projects, is another ethics review required? | Approved research projects are valid for one year. If the study period exceeds one year, please submit the interim report in advance to obtain the validity period for the next year. |
| When should modifications/changes be submitted for review? What are the related requirements? | When research content changes, approval from the original review committee is required before implementation. "Modifications" include: changes in execution methods and related documents, such as: Extending the research period. Changes in research team members. Switching informed consent from written to verbal. Changes in participant numbers. Changing execution methods (e.g., switching from in-depth interviews to focus groups). Adjusting participant compensation (e.g., from NT$300 to NT$350). Minor wording adjustments or typo corrections in the informed consent document. Modifications to recruitment advertisements. Adjustments to questionnaire content. Modifications must be submitted and approved before implementation. Unapproved modifications cannot be executed. |
| What are common mistakes in participant recruitment? | Type 1: The approved project has an insufficient sample size, so researchers expand recruitment without approval. Type 2: The number of recruited participants exceeds the approved limit. Type 3: Recruitment method changes, such as switching from posting announcements to using messaging apps or social media, leading to content changes. Type 4: Including compensation amounts in recruitment advertisements. |