Ethics Form
Ethics Form
Ethics Form
Please note that all research projects involving primary data require ethical clearance, see
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/research/researchethics/policyandprocedures.aspx
For undergraduate business topics, there are generally few, if any, problems in this area. It
is the responsibility of your Seminar Tutor to grant you ethical clearance and you must
ensure that you discuss this with them before you begin to collect any data.
Students must not commence any primary research involving an approach to research
subjects, e.g. interviews or questionnaire until ethical approval is received (when your
Seminar Tutor signs your form). This means you must aim to clarify your research focus and
methods of data collection as soon as possible and keep your supervisor informed of your
intentions. (You can evaluate literature, begin to design surveys and interview questions and
collect secondary data whilst ethical approval is pending). The ethical approval form must be
submitted with the Research Project. If no form is submitted the research is not authorised
and the assessment cannot be completed.
You cannot undertake primary research which involves NHS patients, staff, data or
premises. Other areas may also present ethical difficulties, e.g. research involving
aerospace/defence organisations, research involving children or other vulnerable groups,
research involving sensitive topics, and research involving nuclear production organisations.
If you have any queries about this, please discuss them in the first instance with your
Seminar Tutor, who may contact the Field co-ordinator or Module Leader.
Business Project Ethics Assessment Form: To be completed and emailed to your Seminar
Tutor for approval. Students should include a signed copy of this – or the sign-off from the
full FREC process - in the appendices of your business project.
Student name:
Student number:
Project title
If you have answered ‘yes’ to ANY of the above, your research may be ‘high risk’. You must
discuss this with your Seminar Tutor. If your Seminar Tutor views the research as high risk
you must apply to the Faculty Research Ethics Committee for full ethical approval:
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/research/researchethics/applyingforapproval.aspx
If your research is not classed as ‘high risk’ you still should ensure that you have considered
ethical issues, been granted ethical approval by your Seminar Tutor, and conducted your
research appropriately.
CHECKLIST QUESTIONS Y/N Please explain what
you will do.
1. Will you inform participants about the nature and
purpose of the research and how data will be used?
2. Will participants be clearly asked to give consent to
take part in the research?
3. Can participants withdraw themselves and their data
from the research project at any time if they choose?
Are they told this?
4. Are measures in place to provide confidentiality for
participants?
5. Have you ensured secure management of data, (e.g.
ideally stored only on UWE computers with
passwords)?
6. Is it clear to participants for how long their data will
be kept, and that it will be destroyed after that time?
If you have answered ‘no’ to any of these questions please work with your Seminar Tutor to
amend your research design.