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: www.neaf.gov.au
Goals of NEAF:
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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 www.neaf.gov.au. 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”.
HREC - How to submit a NEAF application
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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:
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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:
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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.
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Student research: If the research is to be conducted by a student as part of the
requirements for their degree the application must be submitted with the project
supervisor named as the Applicant/Principal Researcher in Section 2 of the NEAF
and the student named as Associate Researcher 1.
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The application must identify all researchers involved with the project and all
must sign the Declaration in Section 9 (for exceptions see Special Circumstances
below).
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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 can be submitted either electronically or hard copy. If you choose
to submit a hard copy of your
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Applications and other documentation must be printed single-sided.
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Collate the application in the following order and do not staple:
 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 emailed, delivered or posted to the Research
Ethics Officer at the address below.
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, 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 declaration 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 taken if using
electronic signatures.
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Submit to:
Research Ethics Officer
Research Services
T.C Lamble Building
The University of New England
NSW 2351
Australia
Tel:
6773 3449
Fax: 6773 3543
(International prefix +61 2)
Email: ethics@une.edu.au
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:
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Quickstart guide
On-line Help button
FAQs button
User Guide in PDF format
additional support available by emailing neafassist@nhmrc.gov.au or
telephoning 1800 823 993 (business hours)
DO NOT submit these instructions with your application
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