Research Governance

The School of Engineering and Informatics falls under the Sciences and Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee (C-REC).

There are different pathways for ethical review of research, depending on whether you are:

(a) A member of staff or a PGR (Postgraduate Research) student.

(b) An undergraduate student.

(c) A master's student.

Staff and PGR Students

For all staff and PGR students, you should follow the University procedures described here: University Research Governance Procedures

In a nutshell, you should submit an application for Low or Higher risk projects to the Sciences and Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committees (C-RECs).

Undergraduate Students (UG)

Please refer to the Individual Projects Canvas site for guidance on whether and how to apply for ethical clearance for your final year project. Ensure you check whether your project needs ethics approval – don't assume it does not. Failing to obtain ethical clearance when it is needed is considered an academic offense.

PGT Students

Refer to this guide for information on when and how to obtain ethics approval for your project:

[Ethical Review Guidance for Student Projects V4.1.pdf]

Again, check whether your project needs ethics approval – don't assume it does not. Failing to obtain ethical clearance when required is considered an academic offense.

These are the User Testing Compliance Form and the Secondary Data Analysis Form referred to in the guide:

For detailed information about applying for ethics approval for Low or Higher risk projects, please view the University's comprehensive guidance on Research Governance.

You can use this template for a combined participant information sheet and informed consent form for applications from the School of Engineering and Informatics: [InfoConsent_template [DOC 110.00KB]

Staff and students: a combined participant info and consent form

You can use this template for a combined participant information sheet and informed consent form for applications from the School of Engineering and Informatics: [InfoConsent_template [DOC 110.00KB]

Contacts

For all students, your primary contact for ethics queries is your supervisor.

The current School Research Ethics Officer (SREO) is Peter Cheng; you can reach him via email at p.c.h.cheng@sussex.ac.uk.

The Sciences and Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee (C-REC) can be contacted at crecscitech@sussex.ac.uk.

School of Engineering and Informatics (for staff and students)