Scientific ethics committees (EC) are the foundation of the institutional review process, which is considered an essential barrier before clinical and laboratory research can occur. In layman’s terms, EC are to research what the customs department is to immigration. They provide the fundamental checks and balances that provide members of any community with the reassurance that no harm will come to them.

Over the past 10 years, tornado like winds of change have blown through the scientific community, adding strata of documentation and justification for conducting research. Such recent innovations were believed essential to avoid rogue researchers terrorising the innocent. Institutional review is now considered a multi-layered process for our multicultural society. Representation on EC has inevitably expanded to include representatives of every possible group potentially disadvantaged by scientists conducting research. It has been suggested that a week’s training in critical thinking may be the most essential preparation for membership of an EC. Given the number of courses inflicted on hospital staff (for example, origami as a tool in conflict resolution), this suggestion may give all researchers some cause for optimism.

For young researchers applying …