Research Governance
The School of Engineering and Informatics falls under the Science Engineering and Medicine: Science, Engineering and Technology Faculty Research Ethics Committee (SEMSET F-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 and Postgraduate Taught Students
Refer to this guide for information on when and how to obtain ethics approval for your project:
Check with your supervisor 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.
For all 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]
Contacts
For all students, your primary contact for ethics queries is your supervisor.
The current School Research Ethics Officer (SREO) is Kate Howland; you can reach her via email at k.l.howland@sussex.ac.uk.
The Science Engineering and Medicine: Science, Engineering and Technology Faculty Research Ethics Committee (SEMSET F-REC) can be contacted at frecsemset@sussex.ac.uk.