Ethical approve from your Institution should suffice. However, you may need to improvise the standard form available from your university to address anticipated ethical concerns that may rise. It would be useful to review an ethical clearance form from an institution from countries where you will recruit participants - just so you know additional points that may not be covered in the form from your institution. I wonder if you can even apply for ethical clearance from other countries unless there is some sort of affiliation?

You should do so. It is the correct way to go. Ethical clearance from all is required.

If this is a question of law, you need a legal opinion. Law may even vary within one country depending on funding sources.

Apart from law, if risks vary by country consent forms should address those risks. Style or manner of collection may impact personal privacy and security differently in different countries. Assurance of privacy and security may be less realistic in some of the countries. Topic sensitivity may vary by country or by subculture within a country. Respect for the autonomy of subjects calls for finding out a good deal about all these variations, even if the law permits national norms to be guarded by a university within a nation, moral regard may require more than a rubber stamp from an institutio.

In an online survey I think we do not need any ethical approval from each country.

First of all, let me say that it is a valid question! To approach the subject ethically, ethical permission should be obtained from each participant. Since the surveys are individual, informed consent must be obtained from the participants. If the participant has approved this survey, there will be no problem. As Theodore John Drizis said, I don't think it's necessary to get permission from each country separately. You just need to have it from your country.

Best regards

It is comprehended the general and universal ethical approval.

It will be enough to get approval from your country.

Hi.

Muhammad Abdullatif

Your Supervisor has recommended, that you need to get ethics approval from an institution in each country. Hence you should take that advice and lead that way forward. Once it's kept inline to the recommended ethical standards you will be making sound judgment in your finding, while keeping to the standards of the counties. all the best.

Hi Bülent,

I have just seen this question. It depends on how you will reach the participants. Via an institution, an association, a hospital ??? If you plan to use one of this way and want to get their mails for example, you have to get ethical approvals from related institution in each country. Because one ethical committee can not give permission for your cooperations with the institutions located in other countries. If you plan to reach directly İ mean without intermediaries, (in case an open announcement for example) an ethical approval from the country of the principal investigator will be enough.

If you are going to apply intermediaries, you must also obtain the permissions of the institution that will share the contact data of the participants.

And with or without intermediary institutes you have to get informed consents of all participants.

Finally, do not forget that the legal practices of countries and the publication policies of journals may be different. All the best.