• Home
• News and events
• Resources
• • Ethics FAQs
  • Fieldwork FAQs
  • Thesis FAQs
  • Doctoral supervision at Sussex
  • Supervision FAQs
  • Copyright and your thesis
  • Organising a conference
  • Get Connected
  • Researcher Blogs
  • Doctoral School Blog
  • Researcher Reflections
  • Vitae Researcher Development Framework
  • Training Needs Analysis
  • Vitae
  • NVivo Resources for workshop
  • Researcher Wellbeing 2012
• Researcher development
• Researcher Mentoring Programme
• Researcher-Led Initiative Fund
• Funding
• Help and support
• ESRC Doctoral Centre
• Research staff
• People and contacts

Ethics FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Research Ethics

I want to send my interview data to someone else to transcribe - how do I ensure confidentiality my data?

Using a third party to transcribe interview material is a very common practice. The main obligation that you have as the researcher, is to ensure that anyone who has access to your interview data, maintains confidentiality.

• If the translater / transcriber you propose to use is part of a company that specialises in transcribing interviews, then they are likely to be able to provide a standard confidentiality agreement which they can sign (as long as you are happy with it). 
• If the person you propose to use does not have a standard agreement, then you will definitely need to provide one for them to sign. If you need to provide a confidentiality agreement for them to sign, the University contracts team will be able to advise on this issue - get in touch with the Doctoral School to arrange this.

Research ethics online applications - from 21st August 2012

The new online research ethics application system will be available from 21^st August 2012 via Sussex Direct. The current research ethics review procedures will continue to operate alongside the new online system for one month (until 20^th  September 2012) after which time the University will only accept applications via the new online system.

How will the new online research ethics application system affect you?

From August 21^st, If you are applying for ethical review for your own research project, you will be able to go online via Sussex Direct and complete the University’s Application Form for Ethical Review and submit to your Supervisor online. You will also be able to upload your supporting documents (in PDF format).

Your Supervisor will then be able to enter a decision online, which will be to either: advise you that you need to make amendments and resubmit, OR authorise your project.

IF YOU NEED TO MAKE AMENDMENTS, you will be sent an email alert which will tell you that you need to log into Sussex Direct and make changes to your application (and submit again); OR, you will be sent an email alert telling you that your Supervisor has authorised your application and that it will then be automatically forwarded to the relevant C-REC for review.

When the C-REC has completed the review, you will be advised of their decision.

Please note, you are still expected to have conversations with your Supervisor outside of the online application process, to help ensure that you are getting all the appropriate advice and guidance you need to make a good ethics application. 

More information is provided on the Research Governance webpage "How to apply for research ethics review", including links to the new online research ethics application system, a user guide, FAQs and other guidance documents, along with details of upcoming training sessions which introduce the new system. FAQs about the new online system can be accessed along with further guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact the Research Governance Officer, Dr Carmen McLeod at c.m.mcleod@sussex.ac.uk