College Of Arts And Social Sciencesethical Approval Formthis Form Shou ✓ Solved
College of Arts and Social Sciences Ethical Approval Form This form should be completed and submitted to the appropriate supervisor or School Ethics Officer for consideration by the College Research Ethics and Governance Committee. Important Note : If your research involves NHS patients, tissue or data, or NHS staff, please contact [email protected] for further guidance on ethical approval procedures. BEFORE COMPLETING THIS FORM APPLICANTS SHOULD REFER TO: 1. The College Checklist of Good Research Practice: 2. The College Research Ethics web pages can be found at: 3.
Information on data management, collecting personal data and data protection act requirements can be found at: 4. Information on University Expectations of researchers can be found in the University’s Framework for Research Governance at: WHEN COMPLETING THE FORM APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO: 1. Consider each question carefully and provide details of potential ethical issues which might arise, allowing the reviewer to make an informed decision on whether they have been addressed appropriately. Applicants are expected to provide additional information beyond the initial ‘yes’/’no’ answer to the questions provided. Failure to provide enough information to allow the reviewer to provide informed approval of ethical issues within the research might result in the need to restart the review process.
2. For all applications, researchers must provide a brief explanation of the potential ethical issues which might arise when carrying out the research/course (e.g. justification of the need to use certain research methodologies which might raise potential ethical concerns) and how they are to be addressed. This should be provided in a separate Word document appended to the application. For clearly defined research projects/courses, the project proposal or course outline document should also be attached. Any other documents relevant to the research (e.g. consent forms) should also be attached to the application.
Code and Title of Course/Project: Name of Principal Investigator or Course Co-ordinator: Project/Course Start Date: Additional Research staff (if applicable): Add Application Date: Signature of Course Co-Ordinator: Recruitment procedures Yes No N/A 1 Does your research activity involve persons less than 18 years of age? If yes, please provide further information. 2 Does your research activity involve people with learning or communication difficulties? ( Note: all research involving participants for whom provision is made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 must be ethically reviewed by NHS NRES). If yes, please provide further information. 3 Is your research activity likely to involve people involved in illegal activities?
If yes, please provide further information. 4 Does your research activity involve people belonging to a vulnerable group, other than those noted above? If yes, please provide further information. 5 Does your research activity involve people who are, or are likely to become your clients or clients of the section in which you work? If yes, please provide further information.
6 Does your research activity provide for people for whom English is not their first language? Please provide further information on how this will be provided, or, if it will not be provided, please explain why not. 7 Does your research activity require access to personal information about participants from other parties (e.g. teachers, employers), databanks or files? If yes, please explain how you will ensure that use of this data does not contravene the Data Protection Act and protects the anonymity of subjects. 8 Do you plan to conceal your own identity during the course of the research activity?
If yes, please provide further information (e.g. that this is necessary for the nature of the research, whether subjects will be contacted directly after the period of observation). Consent Procedures 9 Please provide details of the consent procedures that you intend to use for obtaining informed consent from all subjects (including parental consent for children). You should provide details of how you will let subjects know that participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time. You should also provide details of the processes for giving potential subjects adequate time for considering participation and for obtaining written consent. If research is observational, please advise how subjects will provide consent for being observed.
If any of these issues are not applicable to your research or if you do not intend to address them for reasons of research methodology, please provide further information. Possible Harm to Researchers/Participants 10 Are there any safety issues for you in conducting this research? If so, please provide details of what these might be and how you intend to address such issues. 11 Is there any realistic risk of any subjects experiencing either physical or psychological discomfort or distress? Or any realistic risk of them experiencing a detriment to their interests as a result of participation?
If so, please provide details of what this might be and how you intend to address such issues. Data Protection 12 Please provide details of how you intend to ensure that data is stored securely and in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Please give specific consideration to whether any non-anonymised and/or personalised data will be generated and/or stored and what precautions you will put in place regarding access you might have to documents containing sensitive data about living individuals that is not publicly available elsewhere ? If your research relates to the latter, please consider the consent of the subjects including instances where consent is not sought. It is the responsibility of all researchers to ensure that they follow the College and University’s various policies designed to ensure good research practice.
This includes providing appropriate information sheets and consent forms, and ensuring confidentiality in the storage and use of data. Any significant change in the question, design or conduct over the course of the research activity should be notified to your School Research Ethics Officer and may require a new application for ethics approval. Please attach the following with this form: · Full proposal of relevant research project/course elements. In order to speed up the process of review, applicants are advised to pay particular attention to those areas for which a ‘Yes’ has been ticked in the following form, either by providing an account of the procedures or training to be employed to ensure ethical practice, or an academic justification for the research strategy employed (or both). · Participant information form and consent form (where appropriate) 1
Paper for above instructions
Ethical Approval Form Submission
College of Arts and Social Sciences
Code and Title of Course/Project: Exploring the Impact of Mental Health on Academic Performance
Name of Principal Investigator or Course Co-ordinator: Dr. Sarah Thompson
Project/Course Start Date: January 15, 2024
Additional Research Staff: N/A
Application Date: October 1, 2023
Signature of Course Co-Ordinator: [Dr. Sarah Thompson's Signature]
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Recruitment Procedures
1. Does your research activity involve persons less than 18 years of age?
No
Explanation: All participants will be above 18 years of age to comply with legal adult status for consent.
2. Does your research activity involve people with learning or communication difficulties?
No
Explanation: A screening process will be implemented to ensure participants do not fall under this category.
3. Is your research activity likely to involve people involved in illegal activities?
No
Explanation: Eligibility criteria will exclude individuals engaged in illegal activities.
4. Does your research activity involve people belonging to a vulnerable group, other than those noted above?
No
Explanation: Potential participants will be screened to exclude vulnerable populations as classified by socio-economic factors.
5. Does your research activity involve people who are, or are likely to become your clients or clients of the section in which you work?
No
Explanation: Participants will be recruited from the general public through advertisements, ensuring no conflict of interest.
6. Does your research activity provide for people for whom English is not their first language?
Yes
Explanation: A translated version of the participant information sheet will be provided upon request to ensure understanding and informed consent.
7. Does your research activity require access to personal information about participants from other parties?
No
Explanation: The study will rely on self-reported data collected from participants, ensuring no personal data from third parties are used.
8. Do you plan to conceal your own identity during the course of the research activity?
No
Explanation: Transparency will be maintained throughout the research process, and the investigator's identity will be disclosed to all participants.
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Consent Procedures
9. Please provide details of the consent procedures that you intend to use for obtaining informed consent from all subjects.
Participants will receive a comprehensive information sheet detailing the study's purpose, methods, anticipated use of the data, and their rights regarding participation, including that involvement is voluntary, that they can withdraw at any time without repercussions, and that confidentiality will be maintained. The consent form will also ensure parents can provide consent for any individuals who may qualify under the age of 18 if any arise. Initially, participant recruitment will involve sending out the information sheet via email and providing a minimum of 48 hours to process the information before seeking consent through a signed form. For observational studies, verbal consent will be recorded.
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Possible Harm to Researchers/Participants
10. Are there any safety issues for you in conducting this research?
No
Explanation: The research does not involve fieldwork that may present physical risk; it is limited to online surveys.
11. Is there any realistic risk of any subjects experiencing discomfort or distress?
Yes
Explanation: Participants may experience discomfort when discussing sensitive topics related to mental health. To mitigate this, resources for mental health support will be provided along with a debriefing session at the completion of the study, allowing participants to process their feelings after the participation.
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Data Protection
12. Please provide details of how you intend to ensure that data is stored securely.
All data will be stored on secure university servers with encryption protocols in place. Access will be limited to the primary investigator and designated research staff. All non-anonymised data will be deleted after the research is concluded, in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. Consent forms containing personal information will be stored separately from the data collected to ensure anonymity. Participants will be informed of their rights under the Data Protection Act and how their information will be protected during and after the research.
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Appendices
- Full Proposal Document: Attached detailing the research scope, methodology, and ethical considerations.
- Participant Information Form: Included to inform potential participants about the study objectives and procedures.
- Consent Form: Enclosed for participant signature ensuring informed consent is obtained.
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References
1. British Psychological Society. (2018). Ethical Guidelines for Internet-mediated Research. [Online]. Available at: [BPS Guidelines](https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy%20Attachments/Ethical%20Guidelines%20for%20Internet-mediated%20Research.pdf)
2. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
3. Data Protection Act 2018. (2018). UK Government Regulations. [Online]. Available at: [UK Government](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-act-2018-overview)
4. Mental Health Foundation. (2020). The Mental Health of Students in Higher Education. [Online]. Available at: [Mental Health Foundation](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/mental-health-students)
5. National Health Service. (2021). Clinical Ethics. [Online]. Available at: [NHS Guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ethical-issues-in-health-and-care/)
6. PsychCentral. (2022). Understanding Informed Consent in Research. [Online]. Available at: [PsychCentral](https://psychcentral.com/lib/understanding-informed-consent-in-research)
7. Research Ethics Guidance. (2021). The University of Edinburgh. [Online]. Available at: [University of Edinburgh](https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/research-support/research-ethics)
8. Resnik, D. B. (2020). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important? [Online]. Available at: [NIH Journal](https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2020/11/16/what-is-ethics-in-research-why-is-it-important/)
9. Saldaña, J. (2015). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
10. World Health Organization. (2021). Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching Violence Against Women: Recommendations for Researchers and Research Ethics Committees. [Online]. Available at: [WHO Recommendations](https://www.who.int/research-excellence/involving-research-participants/VAW.pdf)
By submitting this thorough Ethical Approval Form, all measures have been taken to mitigate potential ethical concerns while ensuring the integrity of the research is upheld. Each area has been addressed to facilitate informed decision-making by the College Research Ethics and Governance Committee.