Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
On this page we have gathered some Frequently Asked Questions about Research Ethics. We will continue to add to this page with additional questions and answers.
Contact form help (CAHSS.REIGformhelp@ed.ac.uk) and they will be able to add you to the system. The LLC Ethics Officer can not resolve this issue.
Contact form help (CAHSS.REIGformhelp@ed.ac.uk) and they will be able to assist with this issue. The LLC Ethics Officer can not resolve technical issues with the form.
If you have made changes to your project which raise new ethical issues or which potentially raise new ethical issues, then please re-submit your ethics review application to reflect the changes. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that their research has been through ethics review when changes have been made to the research.
I am having difficulty self-enrolling on the research ethics and/or GDPR training. What should I do?
The training is not managed by LLC or by the LLC Ethics Officer. Therefore, if you experience difficulties in self-enrolling for any of the University of Edinburgh-based training courses outlined on the Ethics webpages, please contact Learn Support or the IS Helpline via the ‘Help’ tab on Learn.
You must bear in mind that consent to participate in a project and consent to have data stored in an archive are two separate processes (although the consent may be sought in a single participant consent form). Some archives may have their own participant consent forms, but before using them, you must ensure that they are GDPR-compliant and in line with University of Edinburgh ethics and GDPR guidance.
The default for participation in research is to seek written consent. It is still possible to justify (and, sometimes, even desirable or necessary) to seek oral consent only, but best practice, where possible, is to seek written consent.
Best practice in these situations would be to seek proper written consent, so that you and the participant have a clear picture of what information you are seeking and what you hope to use it for. You should certainly never assume that it would be acceptable to use the contents of email correspondence for research purposes without seeking consent to do so.
Yes. ‘All research projects (and not only those involving human participants, personal or sensitive data, and/or human tissue), regardless of whether they are funded or not, should go through research ethics review before they commence.’ This includes undergraduate and taught postgraduate dissertations. Please refer to ‘When should research ethics review be conducted?’ here: Ethics | The University of Edinburgh
It’s OK if you get the consent from those in the group. A WhatsApp group would generally be considered a private space rather than a public space because the entry/exit to WhatsApp groups is controlled by a gatekeeper or gatekeepers. You can not assume that because entry to a group is straightforward that the space isn’t private. Please refer to the ‘Internet and online research’ readings and guidance in ‘Ethics-related resources’ on this site.
You can find English-language templates for the Participant Information Sheet and Participant Consent Form on the Research Ethics, Integrity and Governance application page: Research Ethics, Integrity & Governance Application (sharepoint.com). Templates for the Participant Information Sheet and Participant Consent Form will be added to the site in due course and these can be found under ‘Participant Information Sheet and Participant Consent Form templates’ on this site.
It is widely held that young people 16-18 are generally capable of giving consent without parental/guardian permission, though there are obviously exceptions to this. Children under 16 may also be able to give informed consent but this is a matter of judgement and will require careful consideration. In addition to these general principles, please refer to the ‘Research with children’ readings and guidance in ‘Ethics-related resources’ on this site. Please also seek further advice from the LLC Ethics Officer.
If this is an isolated interview which doesn't feed into a project (such as a dissertation), and is being conducted mainly for the experience of interviewing, then there is no need for the students to go through the ethics review process. You would need to make it clear to them that any 'data' generated by the interview couldn't be then used later in a project. Students should delete all records of the interview once the exercise is finished. If you are using the interview as part of a broader training package on research, then you could get the students to go through the ethics review process. You would need to bear in mind that a designated supervisor would be needed for each student.
If the interview will feed into a project, or if the interview would be exploring particularly sensitive topics (eg, illegal behaviours, sexual conduct, discrimination), then I would recommend that the interview go through the ethics review process.