My apologies for a rather quiet Trauma Recovery blog at the moment. I’ve been living ‘under a stone’ (Dutch expression) to finish an ethics application for a new study. Which was pretty hilarious at times…

Therefore an intermezzo with a quiz based on the beautiful Australian National Ethics Application Form (NEAF).

It requires some ability to concentrate and read carefully, but you’ll be rewarded with some amazin’ insights into ‘truly’ ethical research…

Does any other individual or organisation have an interest in the outcome of the research? (Q 3.8)

• A) No, no one gives a damn
• B) Yes, hopefully the outcomes of this research will be of interest to parents of children exposed to trauma and to organisations and professionals working with families after trauma.

Explain why there is no reason to believe that the research participation is not contrary to the best interests of the children or young people (Q 7.11)

• A) There is every reason to believe the research is contrary to the best interests of children. We think we will be able to do as much harm as possible. In particular, …
• B) Based on earlier research, the risks of this study for young participants are minor. In addition, we have taken several measures to make sure that children receive support and guidance during the study. In particular, …

For the first one, obviously, A is the correct answer. For the second, not sure. I’m hoping some real strategic thinking went into it. To lure people into revealing the unethical parts of their research…

More examples welcome 🙂