Negros Oriental State University
Research Ethics Committee
Research Ethics, Review & Oversight
NORSU's research ethics framework emphasizes voluntary participation, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, safety, dignity, and the ability to ask questions or raise concerns about participation in research.
You should receive enough understandable information to make a voluntary and informed decision about joining a research study.
Participation must be voluntary. You are free to decide whether or not to take part in a study.
You should be told the purpose of the research, what you will be asked to do, how long participation will take, and why you are being invited.
You should have an opportunity to ask questions and receive honest, prompt, and complete answers before deciding.
You may refuse to participate or withdraw from the research at any time without having to give a reason and without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled.
Researchers are expected to respect your privacy and protect confidential information, subject to applicable legal or ethical limits that should be explained to you.
You should be informed about foreseeable risks, pain, discomfort or inconvenience, as well as expected direct benefits, if any, and broader benefits of the research.
As a general rule, informed consent is documented through the participant's signature or thumbmark on the informed consent form. The Manual provides that alternatives may require prior REC approval when use of a standard consent form is not feasible or acceptable.
The Manual also treats waiver of individual informed consent as exceptional and subject to REC approval. In some circumstances, consent may need to be renewed when procedures or circumstances significantly change, new information could affect willingness to continue, or at predetermined intervals in long-term studies.
Important: Even after signing an informed consent document, a participant may withdraw from the research.
The Manual requires researchers to respect participant privacy and describes safeguards for personal information and identifiable research records.
NORSU's Manual emphasizes protection of participant rights and dignity, avoidance of unnecessary harm, and special protection for vulnerable participants.
Researchers should not expose participants to unnecessary physical or psychological pain and should protect them from injury or other avoidable harm.
The Manual states that research should proceed only when there is an acceptable positive benefit-risk ratio.
Vulnerable participants require special protection. The Manual also states that minors, students, and vulnerable groups must not be compelled to participate.
The Manual provides for contact information covering protocol questions, participant-rights issues, concerns and grievances, and management of research-related injuries. The NORSU REC materials also include a Complaint / Concern Form for participant rights or welfare, informed consent, privacy/confidentiality, protocol compliance, conflicts of interest, REC/researcher processes, and possible ethical violations.
Read the NORSU Research Ethics Manual or visit the REC resources page for informed-consent templates and other ethics documents.