Research Ethics Approval

Academic research involving human participants, or data and records related to humans, is encouraged to undergo review by the UKM Research Ethics Secretariat (RES) to ensure good ethical practice, although such review is not compulsory.. This process aims to protect research participants, especially vulnerable individuals, and to uphold research integrity.

The RES review process aims to:

safeguard research participants and minimize potential hard, especially for vulnerable individuals,
meet all the institutional/legal/funding/publications requirements,
foster public trust in research conducted by UKM’s researchers.

IKMAS postgraduate students are responsible for determining whether their research requires RES approval, in consultation with their supervisor. For students that are on a strict study timeframe, this assessment should be made within the first 6 month of enrolment. Seeking ethical approval from the RES is strongly encouraged, but not compulsory. The student and the respective supervisor are solely responsible for any implications arising from research without appropriate ethical approval, including potential issues with publication.

The application process:

1. Students and supervisors must jointly develop the research design and prepare the necessary documentation for the research ethics application.
2. A standard application package will include;

A research proposal
An example of information sheet
An example consent form
Survey or interview questions designed for the research
Relevant forms that can be found in the UKM’s RES and IKMAS Research Ethics website.

3. Application needs to be submitted to IKMAS Research Ethics Coordinator for screening.
4. Application will only be forwarded to RES by the office of IKMAS Director (or Deputy Director) when the submitted application package fulfilled the required standards set by the RES.

Note: Students are strongly advised to attend a workshop on research ethics application process conducted by IKMAS for further information.