Supervising Ethically: Applied Research Ethics Knowledge Among Supervisors of Medical Student Research Projects

Abstract

Research training is a core component of contemporary medical education, and supervisors play a central role in ensuring that student research involving human participants is conducted ethically. Despite this, limited evidence exists on how supervisors apply ethical research principles in practice. This cross-sectional study examined research ethics experience and applied ethics knowledge among academic staff, clinicians, and affiliated researchers supervising medical student projects in a large Australian Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program (2023–2024). An online survey collected demographic data, research experience, ethics training, and responses to scenario-based questions addressing consent, recruitment, privacy, risk management, and incidental findings. Seventy-seven supervisors completed the survey (response rate 24%), and sixty-four completed the ethics knowledge section (response rate 20%). Participants reported substantial research experience and high engagement with national ethics frameworks. Supervisors performed strongly on some items, including consent for use of medical records and confidentiality in interview-based research, while performance was more variable for clinic-based recruitment, participant selection, guiding ethical principles and incidental findings. Subgroup analyses showed no consistent pattern of association between supervisor characteristics and performance, although several item-level associations were observed. These findings suggest that familiarity with ethics governance frameworks does not consistently translate into applied ethical judgement. For medical educators and faculty developers, these findings highlight the need for supervisory development programs that go beyond policy-based training. Strengthening applied ethical reasoning requires educational approaches that prioritise reflective, scenario-based engagement with ethical decision-making.