Introduction
The University of Sussex is committed to promoting and upholding the highest quality academic and ethical standards in all its activities. A university-wide Research Governance Committee Framework has been established to ensure that ethical review procedures:
- reflect best practice with regard ethical considerations in research
- meet legislative, regulatory and funder requirements
- safeguard the reputation of the University
Under the new framework, ethical governance of research undertaken in the School of Education and Social Work is overseen by the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Cross-School Research Ethics Committee (C-REC).
Direct responsibility for ethical review of research lies in part with the C-REC and in part with the School - as outilned below. Ethical review within Schools and by C-REC is overseen by the central University Research Governance Committee (URGC), which is responsible for broader policy decisions relating to research governance and ethics. The URGC also regularly reviews policies relating to the ethics of research to ensure that they are comprehensive, accessible, relevant and up to date.
This page provides an overview of research ethics procedures and processes for application and review, with links to University and School-based guidance and resources. Tailored guidance providing detail for ESW staff and students can be found in the following documents:
- Procedures for Staff Applications: 2012/13 [DOCX 75.37KB]
- Procedures for Student Applications: 2012/13 [DOCX 83.06KB]
Ethical review procedures
Research which does not involve humans - or personal information about them - or animals and presents no other risk does not require ethical review.
Where ethical review is required, there are different pathways depending on whether the project is of low or a higher risk. Guidance on the Research Governance website and below explains the distinctions. Please note that these distinctions concern the characteristics of the research project, not the researcher. So ethically sound applications can be approved whether for low or high risk research.
Low risk projects
Ethical review of low risk projects is carried out at two levels:
- Undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate taught (PGT) student projects are reviewed at School level
- Staff and postgraduate research (PGR) student projects are reviewed by the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities C-REC (application forms to be submitted online via Sussex Direct - see details below)
Low risk group projects
Where a number of undergraduate or postgraduate taught students might seek to conduct research of a low-risk nature and of a sufficiently similar nature to each other to be reviewed together, a single ethics application can be submitted by the Course Leader on behalf of the group. Guidance and an application form for blanket approvals can be found on the university's Research Governance website.
Exceptional cases for low risk review
Exceptionally, projects may be submitted for low risk review even if they do not appear to meet all the low risk criteria (see section A of the online application form). The commonest example of this for research undertaken within the School of Education and Social Work is where research involves children who are not in any particular way vulnerable and the research topic itself is non-sensitive.
Higher risk projects
All staff and student (UG, PGT, PGR) higher risk projects are reviewed by the C-REC. (There is also a specialised university-wide committee that considers any research which involves non-human/animal subjects).
People and roles
The following individuals are responsible for managing the ethical review procedures:
Staff, Research Students and High Risk
Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities C-REC Chair: Dr Elaine Sharland
E: E.Sharland@sussex.ac.uk
Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities C-REC representative for ESW: Dr Janet Boddy
E: J.M.Boddy@sussex.ac.uk
Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Low Risk
ESW School Research Ethics Officer (SREO): Vanessa Regan
E: V.Regan@sussex.ac.uk
ESW Ethical Review Administrator: Dr Yugin Teo
E: Y.S.Teo@sussex.ac.uk
Applying for research ethics review
All applications - by staff or students - for research ethics review are submitted online using the Application Form for Ethical Review (this is a link to the relevant page on Sussex Direct for which you will need to log in using your username and password).
NOTE: The old/former application form and procedure will continue to operate alongside the new system until 20th September 2012.
For more details about the new system, see Further Guidelines.
For Staff, Postgraduate Research Students and Higher Risk Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate Applications
These should be submitted online to C-REC by the Principal Investigator or Supervisor on behalf of the student. Students should discuss their application fully with their Supervisor before submission. On submission, a copy of the application is automatically sent to the Supervisor for electronic authorisation, after which the application is sent on to C-REC for review.
The Social Sciencees, Arts and Humanities C-REC works on a monthly reviewing cycle. Applications should be submitted by the 20th of each month for consideration by the 20th of the following month.
Queries should be directed to ESW's C-REC members, ie:
Dr Elaine Sharland: E.Sharland@sussex.ac.uk
Dr Janet Boddy: J.M.Boddy@sussex.ac.uk
For Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate Low Risk Applications
These should be submitted online for official Supervisor approval and also that of the School Research Ethics Officer (SREO). Students should discuss their application fully with their Supervisor before submission. On submission, a copy of the application is automatically sent to the Supervisor for electronic authorisation, after which the application is sent on to the SREO for review and/or approval of the Supervisor's authorisation.
Queries should be directed to ESW's SREO, Vanessa Regan: V.Reegan@sussex.ac.uk
Information and resources
Full information about the University Research Governance Framework, including Standard Operating Procedures, guidance, templates (eg. consent forms and information sheets) and application forms can be found on the Research Governance website. University policies relating to Research Governance can be found on the Research Policies web page. These include guidance on intellectual property, external consultancy and codes of practice.
Information, guidance and resources with particular relevance to staff and students working within the School of Education and Social Work are as follows:
- Procedures for Staff Applications: 2012/13 [DOCX 75.37KB]
- Procedures for Student Applications: 2012/13 [DOCX 83.06KB]
- Guidance on research involving vulnerable people and children [PDF 36.60KB]
- Legislative requirements and criminal records bureau checks [PDF 84.51KB]
- Other sources of guidance and reference on research ethics [PDF 95.33KB]
The ESRC has produced a very helpful, user-friendly, web-based resource: The Research Ethics Guidebook. It is designed for social science researchers at all stages of their training and careers. Its aim is to help you think your way through ethical issues at each stage of your research, and find your way through the variety of regulatory processes and procedures that can apply to social science research. It also signposts you to more detailed information along the way.
Examples of successful applications for research ethics approval
The following are examples of good practice in completing research ethics review forms - all were approved. They include examples of low and higher risk applications, as well as an 'exceptional case' for low risk review.
These examples have been anonymised and are offered here with the researchers' permission.
NOTE: Some of these applications utilise ethics review forms introduced in 2010 which are no longer in circulation.
- Application for projects requiring ethics review: Low Risk 1 [DOC 334.50KB]
- Application for projects requiring ethics review: Low Risk 2 [DOC 408.50KB]
- Application for projects requiring ethics review: Exceptional Case [DOC 362.50KB]
- Application for projects requiring ethics review: High Risk [DOC 304.50KB]
Staff and student development activities
Staff and student development activities focused on research ethics and governance - and supporting the Standards and Guidelines - will be provided by the School, the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities cross-University group, and the University.
Some useful resources from previous School workshops have been made available to download here: