Ethics review process

Increased demands for greater public scrutiny and accountability have meant that studies involving human participants are expected to be formally reviewed by individuals who are independent of the research. Research ethics review procedures at Oxford Brookes are designed to monitor the implementation of the University's Code of Practice in individual research studies and to ensure that the dignity, rights, safety, inclusivity and well-being of all participants are given primary consideration.

Procedures for researchers at Oxford Brookes University

Each Faculty in the University is responsible for the ethics review of research conducted in their Faculty. Research conducted by members of staff, in Directorates as well as in Faculties, and by research students is also reviewed by UREC. Faculties are required to appoint a Faculty Research Ethics Officer who represents their Faculty on UREC and who is responsible for ensuring that appropriate procedures for research ethics review are in place and followed.

For undergraduate and taught postgraduate students these procedures usually include three elements (check with your Department/Faculty Research Ethics Officer for the procedure in your Faculty): The first is a procedure for identifying where a full application for ethics approval needs to be made. This is generally done through a screening checklist (Form E1) which includes a common set of core questions supplemented by further questions appropriate to the research carried out in the Faculty. The second is a procedure for considering full applications for ethics approval. These should be made in writing (Form E2) to the Faculty Research Ethics Officer and considered within a specified time period. The third element is a way of maintaining appropriate records of decisions and of providing written notification to applicants of the decision made (Form E3).

Basic prototypes for each of these ethics review forms have been provided by UREC and some Department/Faculties have adapted them for their own purposes. Students should complete forms appropriate to the Faculty in which they are registered to conduct their research.

For staff and research students (students registered for an MPhil/PhD, PhD or EdD), an application for research ethics review should be made on the UREC E2U form. The Committee has a multi-disciplinary membership that includes academic researchers across all Faculties and non-research lay members from within and outside the University so please do think about the content of the form. The lay description should be just that, so it can be completely understood by all disciplines and the research methodologies should be well set out so the Committee can easily understand your techniques.

UREC will only consider applications after they have been signed off by the Faculty Research Ethics Officer. Once this has been done a complete copy of the application (completed E2U form plus supporting documents) should be sent to the UREC Administrator, Louise Wood at the following address by the deadline date:

UREC meets to consider applications four times a semester in weeks 1, 5, 9 and 12 in Semester one and 1, 5, 9 and 13 in Semester two as well as two extra meetings during June and July. Due to leave and other commitments UREC is not able to review applications for ethics approval during the month of August. Applications should be made in good time for the July meeting or will be held over until the first meeting in September. Exceptions will be made for consultancy projects where there is a very short funding timescale.

Deadline for applications is midday two weeks before the Committee meets. Alternatively, 15 (double-sided) copies of the application plus the original copy (completed form plus supporting documents) should be sent to Louise Wood by midday 11 days before the Committee meets.

Please note that although the Committee will do its utmost to respond to applicants within a week of the meeting at which it was discussed, in some cases it can take two weeks for the reply to be written. Therefore please allow two weeks from the date of the Committee meeting as a worse case scenario.

Whatever the level of research ethics review, all researchers are expected to give careful consideration to the issue of informed consent. Guidance is provided in relation to both participant participant information sheets and formal consent forms.

Staff or students whose studies involve recruitment of patients, carers or staff through the NHS will need to obtain ethics approval from a recognised NHS Research Ethics Committee. Where this is the case, a separate application to UREC is not required; however the application should be reviewed and approved by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences FREC  before going on for NHS approval. Once the study has been given full approval from the NHS REC a copy of the approval letter should be sent to the UREC Administrator, Louise Wood, for University records.

If the study has been given approval from another REC, for example at another institution, and the researcher wishes to recruit participants from Oxford Brookes, the applicant does not need to go through the full review process again rather the application can be approved via Chairs actions. A copy of the application to the original REC together with supporting documents plus a copy of the full approval letter from the committee should be forwarded to the UREC Administrator at the address above. If the researcher is not recruiting potential participants from Oxford Brookes just a copy of the approval letter is required.