GSoE RESEARCH ETHICS FORM

It is important for members of the Graduate School of Education, as a community of researchers, to consider the ethical issues that arise, or may arise, in any research they propose to conduct. Increasingly, we are also accountable to external bodies to demonstrate that research proposals have had a degree of scrutiny.This form must therefore be completed for each piece of research carried out by members of the School, both staff and students

The GSoE’s process is designed to be supportive and educative. If you are preparing to submit a research proposal, you need to do the following:

  1. Arrange a meeting with a fellow researcher
    The purpose of the meeting is to discuss ethical aspects of your proposed research, so you need to meet with someone with relevant research experience. A list of prompts for your discussion is given below. Not all these headings will be relevant for any particular proposal.
  2. Complete the form on the back of this sheet
    The form is designed to act as a record of your discussion and any decisions you make.
  3. Upload a copy of this form and any other documents (e.g. information sheets, consent forms) to the online ethics tool at : .

Please note: Following the upload you will need to answer ALL the questions on the ethics online survey and submit for approval by your supervisor (see the flowchart and user guides on the GSoE Ethics Homepage).

If you have any questions or queries, please contact the ethics co-ordinators at:

Please ensure that you allow time before any submission deadlines to complete this process.

Prompts for discussion

You are invited to consider the issues highlighted below and note any decisions made. You may wish to refer to relevant published ethical guidelines to prepare for your meeting. See links to several such sets of guidelines.

  1. Researcher access/ exit
  2. Information given to participants
  3. Participants right of withdrawal
  4. Informed consent
  5. Complaints procedure

6.Safety and well-being of participants/ researchers

  1. Anonymity/ confidentiality
  2. Data collection
  3. Data analysis
  4. Data storage
  5. Data Protection Act
  6. Feedback
  7. Responsibilities to colleagues/ academic community
  8. Reporting of research

Be aware that ethical responsibility continues throughout the research process. If further issues arise as your research progresses, it may be appropriate to cycle again through the above process.
Name(s):

Proposed research project:

Proposed funder(s):

Discussant for the ethics meeting:

Name of supervisor:

Has your supervisor seen this submitted draft of your ethics application? Y/N

Please include an outline of the project or append a short (1 page) summary:

Ethical issues discussed and decisions taken (see list of prompts overleaf):

If you feel you need to discuss any issue further, or to highlight difficulties, please contact the GSoE’s ethics co-ordinators who will suggest possible ways forward.

Signed:(Researcher)Signed: (Discussant)

Date: