How to Submit a NEAF Application

These instructions should be followed if you are completing the National Ethics Application Form (NEAF) for submission to the University of New England’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). The NEAF can be found at:

Goals of NEAF:

  • To collect all information that the HREC needs in order to be satisfied that a research proposal meets relevant national ethical guidelines.
  • To assist researchers by providing links to guidelines, reference material & help in answering questions.
  • To promote timely, consistently comprehensive ethical review.
  • To facilitate ethical review of multi-site research projects.

Registering for NEAF:

The first time you use the NEAF, you will need to register, using the “Create new user” link below the login box at . In order to improve their ability to track applications and streamline administration, Research Services has requested that all UNE researchers adhere to the following procedure when registering with NEAF:

  • allow all their details to be seen by other NEAF users
  • list their institution as University of New England
  • give access to the Research Ethics Officer (username: UNE_ethics) so that she can assist with any queries you may have in relation to your application.
  • At this stage, paper copies of applications must still be submitted to the HREC.

Tips for Navigation and Use:

Once you have logged in and created a proposal, you can navigate through it quite quickly from the summary page using the headings under “Completeness of Proposal”

  • Any heading proceeded by a can be expanded by clicking on the . You can’t expand any more when the turns into a v.
  • A  following a heading indicates that this section is complete.
  • A  following a heading indicates that one or more questions have not been answered in this section.
  • Clicking on the arrow allows you to drill down to the unanswered question. Once you have drilled all the way to the problem you can click on the question to go directly to it. This takes away the need to click through the form page by page.
  • Another way to find questions you haven’t answered is to look at the .pdf version. Unanswered questions come up as “not yet answered”.
  • The form doesn't know what you've put in the answer fields, just whether or not there is something in them (unless it is expecting a number or a date). If for example, you've left something blank because you are going to employ a research assistant but you don't yet know her/his name, the form will flag that as incomplete unless you go down and put something (eg “tba”) in each box related to that question.
  • The form automatically saves each page as you move to the next, but if you are interrupted it is wise to use the “Save” button to make sure that you do not lose your work.
  • The form automatically logs you out after a period of inactivity. You will need to log back in and may lose any unsaved work on the screen you left.

Useful features:

  • It saves your details so you can put them into subsequent applications with one click
  • You can copy an application already stored on the system and change details
  • You can invite other people to either view or edit your proposals using the “invite” link at the bottom of the summary page – useful for working with colleagues/students outside Armidale or getting feedback before submitting
  • You only need to do the one application for multi-centre projects if all the ethics committees accept the NEAF
  • There is a spell checker in every multi-lined box
  • It provides a checklist of all documents that you need to provide with your application
  • You can click on links to relevant sections in guidelines for extra help in completing sections.

Other UNE-specific issues:

Question 3.8 requires researchers to complete the following questions:

  • Who owns the information collected for the research project?
  • Who is understood to own the information resulting from the research, e.g. the final report or published form of the results?
  • Does the owner of the information or any other party have any right to impose limitations or conditions on the publication of the results of this project? If yes, specify any limitations on publication.

This question is asking if any external body has ownership of data and or results and the right to control their use. It is not interested in internal UNE IP issues e.g. about what percentage of IP is owned by a student and what percentage by her/his supervisor.

Before you submit a NEAF application:

  • Incomplete applications will not be accepted.You will know if it is incomplete because when you print it out it will have draft on it and it will also say ‘incomplete’ in the status section on the proposal summary page.
  • Student research: If the research is to be conducted by a student as part of the requirements for their degreethe application must be submitted with the project supervisor namedas the Applicant/Principal Researcherin Section 2 of the NEAF and the student named as AssociateResearcher 1.
  • The application must identify all researchers involved with the project and all must sign the Declaration in Section 9 (for exceptions see Special Circumstancesbelow).
  • The Head of School Declaration in Section 9 of the NEAF must be completed before submission.

Number of copies to be submitted:

Original Only. NEAF applications are reviewed by the full HREC.

  • Applications and other documentation must be printed single-sided.
  • Collate the application in the following order and do notstaple:

NEAF application form

Information Sheet for Participants (ISP)

Consent Form(s) (if applicable)

then other relevant documents

Closing date for NEAF applications:

The closing dates and the meeting dates for HREC meeting can be found by clicking on this line

Special Circumstances:

It is expected that the original of applications, complete with original signatures, and the required number of copies will be delivered or posted to the Research Ethics Officer at the above address. The Research Ethics Officer is not responsible for producing the copies of applications.

However, it is appreciated that in some cases it can be difficult to obtain the signatures of all the researchers on the one Declaration page (Part G1), e.g. researchers off campus or overseas. In these situations the following Declarations will be accepted:

  1. Researchers off campus - i.e. not physically located at UNE.

The completed application must be emailed or faxed to the respective researcher. Once satisfied with the application the researcher signs against their name on the Declaration page and returns the page to the Chief Investigator or Project Supervisor for inclusion with the original of the application. This must be completed before submission. The page may be returned electronically or by fax. Adequate security should be ensured if using electronic signatures.

  1. Researchers Overseas – this will usually only apply to situations where both students and their supervisors are located overseas, e.g. posting an application would result in significant delays.

Insert the names of all the researchers (i.e. students and supervisors) in the Declaration at Part G1 of the application.

Ensure each researcher receives a copy of the completed application.

The completed application can then be submitted by email to . However, the submission must include an email from each researcher with the following statement:

I confirm my Declaration at Part G1 of the attached “Application Form – Expedited Review” submitted to the University of New England for ethics approval for research involving humans.

Electronic signatures at the Declaration in Part G1 will be accepted. It is the responsibility of individuals to ensure they have adequate security for their signature.

Submit to:

Research Ethics OfficerTel:6773 3449

Research ServicesFax:6773 3543

T.CLambleBuilding(International prefix +61 2)

The University of New England

NSW 2351

AustraliaEmail:

The Principal researcher listed on the application should keep both an electronic copy (save the NEAF as a PDF file) and a paper copy for their personal records, i.e. the full application complete with signatures etc.

NEAF Help:

  • Quickstart guide
  • On-line Help button
  • FAQs button
  • User Guide in PDF format
  • additional support available by emailing or telephoning 1800 823 993 (business hours)

DO NOT submit these instructions with your application

HREC - How to submit a NEAF application Page 1 of 4