All studies require a brief summary of what is proposed. Our interest is in areas of your objectives and methodology where ethical issues may arise, so please focus your detail on areas such as recruitment, consent, describing your participants and the nature of their involvement, and data handling.

The research study protocol should sufficiently detail about aspects of potential concern to the ethical review process. Therefore, please explain processes and procedures in the study planned. It might be helpful to provide an overview of the ethical issues as you see them, and steps you are taking to obviate ethical risks, as far as possible.

Issues of key interest in undertaking ethical review are:

• informing participants about the purpose, methods and use of the research
• obtaining consent from participants
• obtaining permission and approval from relevant authorities and stakeholders
• protecting the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of participants
• highlighting potential for distress to the participants, as a consequence of research enquiry, and providing advice and/or support in such cases
• safeguarding the anonymity and privacy of participants
• explaining process of withdrawal from research for participants and arrangement for such cases
• protecting the confidentiality of information relating to participants
• ensuring compliance with data protection
• ensuring participant safety, both physical and psychological
• ensuring researcher safety, both physical and psychological
• protecting researchers, particularly those conducting research off campus
• protecting the reputation of the University

In the case of practice-based research, ensuring participants are clear about the distinction between practitioner and researcher roles, and that only information stated as to be collected for the research study will be available to researchers. Similarly, there should be clarity as to whether information collected for the research study will be shared with practitioners/authorities, where applicable.