Research and knowledge exchange

Forms to include with your application

This page contains links to the various university templates for forms and documents that need to be completed and uploaded as part of your ethics application.

Most research requires a Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form/Verbal Consent Form, which should be uploaded with your ethics application.

The Participant Information Sheet tells your participants what your research involves, who to contact in case they have any issues, and how you will look after the information they give you.

The Consent Form allows a participant to opt in to all or aspects of your research and provides you with a document that shows they have agreed to participating.

The Verbal Consent form will  provide you with specific statements on your research that can be read out to participants to which they can then provide their consent verbally.

Templates are provided below for these documents, with different information depending on which Faculty you are part of. You should use these forms as the basis for creating your own, providing you keep the headers, sections and format shown.

If you are part of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, please check the BSMS Research Ethics webpage. 

Other participant facing documents

Please attach any interview questions, focus group, workshop topic guides, survey questions, debriefs, adverts and invitation texts. As these will vary by academic discipline, templates are not provided. 

Surveys/Questionnaires (online)

Please use the University's approved anonymous survey system, Qualtrics. Prepare a Participant Information Sheet and consent form and submit this with your ethics application, as they can then be copied and pasted into the start of your survey. If your Qualtrics survey will be anonymous, you should tell participants that they consent to you using their data by submitting the survey and that you cannot remove their data once submitted.

Overseas research fieldwork

Research that involves travel or fieldwork overseas requires an Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA) form to be completed and signed by your line manager or academic supervisor. There may be restrictions and additional checks for high-risk travel destinations. You must check the University Health and Safety for advice and submit the completed OTSSRA form as part of your ethics application.

Students who return to their home countries to conduct online only research are not required to complete an OTSSRA form as part of their application, but should state clearly that this is the case in their ethics application. If students are currently in, or returning to, their home country to conduct in-person fieldwork, they should complete the OTSSRA form and submit this with their ethics application.

SEM Faculty-REC: Science, Engineering and Technology templates

Participant Information Sheet

 

Consent Forms

Faculty Research Ethics Committee templates - MAH, Social Sciences, Business School

Participant Information Sheet Templates

 

Consent Form Templates

If you are considering using a survey or questionnaire to collect data from participants, this document states what information should be included with your ethics application (SS Arts Only)

Media Release Forms (for use by the Media Arts and Humanities School)

Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment Form (OTSSRA)