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This page gives guidance for student projects on taught programmes regarding ethics consideration. When designing any project you must first consider whether you need to seek ethical approval. The pre-screen process outlined below will guide you through this process. If you have any questions please speak to your project supervisor first and then the CCI CRESC (College Research Ethics Subcommittee, cci-cresc@arts.ac.uk) for further clarification.
Ethics Pre-Screen
For all projects on taught programmes, students and their supervisors must complete a pre-screen ethics checklist before any data gathering begins.
The ethics pre-screen checklist must be completed by June 20th 2024 July 15th 2024.
If advised by the checklist to submit an ethics application this must be received by cci-cresc@arts.ac.uk by June 28th 2024 July 22nd 2024.
For students on a 15-month course the final deadlines are:
Last pre-screen deadline: October 3rd 2024
Full application: October 10th 2024
Please apply as soon as you know your research design to expedite processing your application. See details below of how to apply.
Does my project require ethical approval?
Guidance on ethical procedures, definitions, etc can be found here: Research ethics.
If the research contains any of the following elements then it’s likely to have an ethical dimension for which approval must be obtained:
- Involvement of other participants actively or passively, including persons acting in a professional capacity, members of the public, children and others who are not able to give informed consent
- Research collaboration with external parties, e.g. companies
- The involvement of animals
- The use of human tissue
- Potential adverse impacts on the environment
- Health and safety risks beyond those experienced in everyday life including to the researcher(s).
The most common scenario is human data such as gathered from experiment participants, users for an evaluation or human data either gathered as part of the project (known as primary data gathering) or existing human data used during your project (known as secondary data analysis, e.g. a data base of social media posts). Definitions and clarifications of the activities above can be found here.
If your project involves any of the above activities you must apply for ethical approval before starting your project.
All students must first assess the risk involved in their research. All research must minimise the risk involved as much as possible with the majority of student projects being minimal risk or below. If your project is above minimal risk your application will be reviewed by the UAL educational ethics sub-committee which may require more time.
Minimal risk is defined as a risk no greater than risks encountered in everyday life to anyone involved in the research, or any others affected by it directly or indirectly, that is reasonably foreseeable.
Examples of projects above minimal risk to conduct include:
- Will the project involve vulnerable participants such as young, disable people, elderly, people with declared mental health issues, prisoners, people in health or social care setting. Those with learning difficulties or cognitive impairment either contacted directly or via gatekeeper (either through professional- i.e., a caregiver, individual – i.e., relative or guardian or organisation – i.e., charities or care provider etc.)?
- Research involving access to records of personal or confidential information concerning identifiable individuals
- Research involving the participation or observation of animals
- Research involving accessing and/or storing and/or disseminating material which may be regarded as unlawful, including promoting or endorsing terrorist acts
- Research involving sensitive topics such as:
- Sexual, political or illegal behaviour
- Experience of violence; abuse; exploitation; racist or sexist behaviour
- Mental health and/or treatment
- Physical health and/or treatment
- Research involving interaction with individuals or communities where different cultural perceptions of ethics might result in misunderstandings
- Research involving deception, or which is conducted without participants’ full and informed consent at the time the study is carried out
- Research that might induce psychological stress, anxiety or humiliation or cause more than minimal pain under any reasonably foreseeable circumstances
- Research involving intrusive interventions, including vigorous physical exercise, which participants would not normally experience or undergo in the course of their everyday life
- Research which might cause participants to reveal information which causes concern to them either at that time or later
- Research involving human tissue
Full definitions and guidance can be found in section 6 here.
If ethical approval is required you should complete the application form and Participant Information & Consent Form with your supervisor and email it to cci-cresc@arts.ac.uk with the subject line: MSc project ethics application-minimal risk by June 28th 2024 July 22nd 2024. New deadline for 15-month courses is - October 10th 2024.