Postgraduate Research Ethics
Overview of Process for Ethical Approval
1. Declaration
All PG students writing a thesis or a dissertation (regardless of whether you have ethical issues in your research or not) must complete a research ethics declaration form. Its purpose is for you and your research outline oral presentation tutor/supervisor to consider whether or not your research has ethical issues. This will involve taking into consideration the norms of your discipline area, and whether your particular project requires formal approval by the University Research Ethics Committee.
2. Pre-screening
If there are ethical issues in your research, you and your supervisor must then complete a full application form for ethical consideration. In the first instance this will be reviewed by the School's Ethics Committee. The School does not have the right to ethically review and approve a proposed project. It can only decide whether a project requires formal ethical review by the University's Research Ethics Committee or not. This decision is called "pre-screening." The School committee will make the decision whether the case needs to receive full approval by the University Research Ethics Committee. They will also offer guidance and support in preparing your application for the University committee.
During prescreening of all research projects one of two decisions will be made:
Either
No requirement for formal ethical review: this means that you can go ahead and start your project.
Or
Formal ethical review required: this means that you must make a formal application for ethical approval to the University Reseach Ethics Committee. See below for more information.
3. Full Approval
If your project requires ethical approval, then this must be obtained before you commence the research, in order for your insurance cover to be effective. More information on students and insurance can be found in the above guidelines and on the students and insurance webpage. As part of your full application to the University Research Ethics Committee, you will need to complete a University Insurance Form.
No work on a research project that involves ethical issues can take place until prescreening has been fully completed and, if required, formal ethical approval has been obtained.
Does my project need ethical approval?
First consult the School's FAQ on research ethics,
which will help you and your supervisor ascertain if you require
ethical approval. You can also seek further informal guidance from the
School Ethics Committee.
If your project does involve ethical issues, then you will have to
complete a full ethical approval application (below).
It is vital that when completing your the application form for
ethical approval that both you and your supervisor have read and
understood the Full Application Guidance Notes and the general University Ethics Committee Guidelines.
Safety
If your project involves a likelihood of danger to you
above and beyond risks normally associated with research in your
discipline you are required to complete a risk assessment form
available from here.
- SAHC Risk Assessment (Word format) (, 55 KB)
- SAHC Risk Assessment (, 29 KB)
MA Students: Forms and Deadlines
If you are on a Masters programme please download your Declaration Form, and, if required, your Formal Application for Ethical Approval below.
All MA students in the School must complete the declaration form as part of the dissertation research outline process. You must submit this form to the MA Administrators in A20 in the Samuel Alexander Building by 16 March 2012.
If you are required to submit a full application for Ethical Approval, you must do so before you begin that part of your dissertation reseach. You should also consult the guidelines from the Faculty of Humanities Teaching & Learning Office on ethical approval for MA dissertations. (Where the School of Arts, Histories and Culture on the procedure for gaining ethical approval differ from Faculty guidelines, please follow the School guidelines.)
PhD Students: Forms and Deadlines
If you are on a PhD or MPhil programme please download your Declaration Form, and, if required, your Research Ethics Application Form below.
All postgraduate research students in the School must complete the Declaration Form within six months of beginning your programme. Before completing the form, please consult your supervisor and the School's FAQ on Research Ethics. If your research does require ethical approval, you must gain this before you begin that part of your dissertation reseach.
SAHC Postgraduate Research Ethics Application Form
Document size: 64 KB