Ten Top Tips for Animal Ethics Application Success
3. Providing a clear narrative and chronology
The AEC must know exactly what is happening to each individual animal or group of animals within a project (including controls) from the time the animals are obtained until the project is completed. The researcher must clearly illustrate:
- the number and type of procedures to be performed on each animal;
- the time interval between each; and
- the potential impacts on the animals’ welfare associated with each procedure.
However, particularly where multiple procedures are performed on animals, the narrative and chronology of events often becomes jumbled and confused within an application, leading to inconsistency and omission.
An excellent preliminary step for any project application is therefore the construction of a timeline (or flow diagram) which clearly illustrates the nature, number and method of procedures performed on animals, and the time interval between each. A timeline acts as a comprehensive point of reference when developing the textual elements of the application, helping the creator to: avoid omission; reconcile information across all sections of the application; and reduce superfluous detail. When attached to the application it also creates a powerful visual aid for committee members, giving them a solid framework in which to understand textual descriptions across an application.
A timeline can also focus an application on critical animal welfare issues, such as the incorporation of sufficient rest periods for animals between procedures, and the demarcation of project duration in terms of clear start and end-points for individual or groups of animals.
Further resources:
Example timeline (from approved UOM animal ethics application)
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