‘Getting Ethics’
How to obtain ethical approval for
your research
www.kcl.ac.uk/research/ethics
Research Ethics
This session will cover:
• The point of ethics
• Getting past the ethics committees
•Reviewing ethics applications
What’s fundamental to ethics?
• Participants give informed
consent
What’s needed for informed consent?
Participants should know the following:
• The purpose of the study.
• What is expected of them.
• What happens to their data afterwards.
Why do researchers need ethics?
• Mandatory requirement of the College
• Research can only begin after approval has been
granted.
• Ensures researchers are covered by insurance if
anything goes wrong.
Why do researchers need ethics?
• To secure funding.
• To get published.
The King’s Ethics system
• ‘High risk’ applications are reviewed by RESCs.
For social sciences and humanities researchers:
• ‘Moderate’ or ‘uncertain’ risk applications are
reviewed by school-based REPs.
• ‘Low-risk’ applications are submitted and
reviewed online.
The King’s Ethics System
College Research Ethics Committee
Biomedical Sciences,
Dentistry, Medicine
and Natural &
Mathematical Sciences
RESC
Humanities
REP
Law
REP
Psychiatry,
Nursing &
Midwifery RESC
(SSPP)
Education &
Management
REP
Social Sciences,
Arts & Humanities
and Law RESC
(SSPP)
Geography,
Gerontology
& SCWRU
REP
(SSPP)
War
Studies
Group
REP
What do I have to submit
1. Application Form
2. Information sheet for participants
3. Consent form
• Supplementary documents may be needed:
 Questionnaire
 Topic guide
 Permission letters
The application form
What do ethics committees look for?
• Investigation of a viable academic question.
Hint: Use bibliographic references for context.
• How data is to be collected.
 Examples: Interviews, focus groups,
questionnaires, surveys, observation, samples,
physical activity.
The application form
What do ethics committees look for?
• How participants are to be recruited:
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria
In person/by e-mail/advertisement/gatekeeper
• How consent is obtained:
 Written/Verbal
Opt in/out for parents/guardians of child participants
The application form
What do ethics committees look for?
• How ethical issues are addressed:
Pressure to participate
Conflicts of interest
Risks to participant and to researcher
Possible disclosures of harmful activity.
The application form
What do ethics committees look for?
• Storage of data before and after the study:
Location
Format
Will data be shared with other researchers?
Information Sheets
• A ‘recruitment document’.
• Provides information about the purpose of the
study.
• Specifies the activities in which participants will
be involved.
• Explains how data will be used (publication,
final report).
General advice about information
sheets
• Be in plain, straight forward English.
• Give all of the necessary information to
participants (a simplified version of the
information of the application form).
• Use language appropriate to those participants
(adult, 5-7 years, 12-18 years, etc).
• Use College contact details (e-mail addresses
etc).
Possible outcomes of review
• Full approval - the research may commence.
• Approval in Principle - amendments are
requested before full approval can be granted.
• Deferred - the Committee will need to seek
expert advice before a decision is made.
• Not Approved - the application is seriously
flawed and must be resubmitted to the full
Committee.
• Rejected - the study is deemed unethical and
cannot be resubmitted.
Contact details
Research Ethics Office
0207 7848 4077/4070/4020
rec@kcl.ac.uk
Research Ethics Office
5.11 Franklin Wilkins Building/
Waterloo Bridge Wing
Waterloo Campus
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/ethics/contacts.ht
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