‘Getting Ethics’ How to obtain ethical approval for your research

www.kcl.ac.uk/research/ethics

Research Ethics

This session will cover:

• The point of ethics

• Getting past the ethics committees

•Reviewing ethics applications

What’s fundamental to ethics?

•Participants give informed consent

What’s needed for informed consent?Participants should know the following:

• The purpose of the study.

• What is expected of them.

• What happens to their data afterwards.

Why do researchers need ethics?•Mandatory requirement of the College

•Research can only begin after approval has been granted.

•Ensures researchers are covered by insurance if anything goes wrong.

Why do researchers need ethics?

•To secure funding.

•To get published.

The King’s Ethics system • ‘High risk’ applications are reviewed by RESCs.

For social sciences and humanities researchers:

• ‘Moderate’ or ‘uncertain’ risk applications are reviewed by school-based REPs.

• ‘Low-risk’ applications are submitted and reviewed online.

The King’s Ethics System

College Research Ethics Committee

Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities

and Law RESC

Humanities REP

Law REP

(SSPP) Education & Management

REP

(SSPP) Geography,

Gerontology & SCWRU

REP

(SSPP) War

Studies Group

REP

Psychiatry, Nursing &

Midwifery RESC

Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, Medicine

and Natural & Mathematical Sciences

RESC

What do I have to submit1. Application Form

2. Information sheet for participants

3. Consent form

• Supplementary documents may be needed: Questionnaire Topic guide Permission letters

The application formWhat do ethics committees look for?

• Investigation of a viable academic question.Hint: Use bibliographic references for

context.

• How data is to be collected. Examples: Interviews, focus groups,

questionnaires, surveys, observation, samples, physical activity.

The application form What do ethics committees look for?

• How participants are to be recruited:Inclusion/Exclusion criteriaIn person/by e-mail/advertisement/gatekeeper

• How consent is obtained: Written/VerbalOpt in/out for parents/guardians of child

participants

The application form

What do ethics committees look for?

• How ethical issues are addressed:Pressure to participateConflicts of interestRisks to participant and to researcherPossible disclosures of harmful activity.

The application form

What do ethics committees look for?

• Storage of data before and after the study:LocationFormat Will data be shared with other

researchers?

Information Sheets

•A ‘recruitment document’.

•Provides information about the purpose of the study.

•Specifies the activities in which participants will be involved.

•Explains how data will be used (publication, final report).

General advice about information sheets•Be in plain, straight forward English.

•Give all of the necessary information to participants (a simplified version of the information of the application form).

•Use language appropriate to those participants (adult, 5-7 years, 12-18 years, etc).

•Use College contact details (e-mail addresses etc).

Possible outcomes of review

•Full approval - the research may commence.•Approval in Principle - amendments are

requested before full approval can be granted.•Deferred - the Committee will need to seek

expert advice before a decision is made.•Not Approved - the application is seriously

flawed and must be resubmitted to the full Committee.

•Rejected - the study is deemed unethical and cannot be resubmitted.

Contact details Research Ethics Office0207 7848 4077/4070/4020

rec@kcl.ac.uk

Research Ethics Office5.11 Franklin Wilkins Building/Waterloo Bridge Wing Waterloo Campushttp://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/ethics/contacts.html