Taught Masters Research Ethics Committee – School of Education
TMREC-EDU
Terms of Reference & Dates of Meetings
 Please note that in order to obtain ethical approval (full review or exemption from review)
for your research, and to complete application forms correctly, you will need to read the
relevant HREC Guidelines http://www.ucd.ie/researchethics/information_for_researchers/

Forms (full review and exemption) have been developed by the School of Education’s
TMREC. Copies of these forms are available to students on Blackboard.

The TMREC will only review taught masters research proposals needing full ethical
review. In order to facilitate students across masters programmes there will be six
meetings of the TMREC per academic year. The schedule of meetings can be found
below.

See current application dates further below
Criteria for Exemption or Full Review
There are six main categories of research in which a full review is generally not required by
the Committee:
 standard educational practices (e.g. in the researcher’s own classroom)
 standard educational tests
 anonymous surveys
 interviews with adults
 public observations
 research which uses only existing data which is publicly available
However, not all research in these categories is exempt from review; please refer to the
relevant section of Further Exploration of the Process of Seeking Ethical Approval for further
details. In general, a study that involves vulnerable groups, sensitive topics, or would expose
participants to risk or harm to a degree that is greater than they would normally be exposed
to is not exempt. For further information on exemptions see Further Exploration of the
Process of Seeking Ethical Approval. UCD Human Research Ethics Committee.
TMREC-EDU – Terms of Reference - Applicants
In determining whether full ethical review of the research is needed, it is important to
consider the following questions:
Does this research involve any vulnerable groups1?
Does the research involve sensitive topics?
Does the research involve physical or psychological stress/distress or discomfort?
Does the research involve deception or withholding of information from participants?
Does the research involve access to data such as school/organisation records, assessment
results?
Does the research involve conflict of interest issues or ethical dilemmas?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES, full ethical review of the protocol by the
TMREC in the School of Education is required (See TMREC Ethical Application Form – Full
Review Form), unless all aspects of the protocol have been approved appropriately by another
REC or RECs (e.g. Hospital/Service Provider)
If the answer to all of these questions is NO, your research may be exempt from review but
will require the completion and submission of the TMREC Ethical Application Form –
Exemption along with your supporting documentation to your supervisor.
In all cases where students conduct research as part of a course, the protection of
participants is the responsibility of the research supervisor.
Full Review

Students seeking full ethical review will be required to submit an electronic application
form and supporting documents to the TMREC-EDU (education.ethics@ucd.ie) in advance
of meetings and by the submission dates listed below.

Students must ensure that they discuss their completed ethical application form and
documentation with their supervisors before submitting it to the TMREC-EDU.
1
Vulnerable Groups and Deception
Vulnerable groups refer to categories of people who are not legally able to provide informed consent due to age or incompetence,
or who are in an unequal relationship with the researcher. Children, students, people who have a language difficulty, persons who
have an intellectual or mental impairment, certain groups of elderly people, persons who are incarcerated, and people in
dependent or unequal relationships (teacher-student, therapist-client, employees as participants) are viewed as vulnerable
groups. Research that involves vulnerable groups may require a proxy (parent, guardian or legal representative) to provide
consent. A proxy signature, in itself, will not perfect an improperly formed consent by a member of a vulnerable sub-group, i.e.
except for guardians at law. (See Further Exploration of Vulnerable Groups). However, researchers should provide an appropriate
explanation of the research to each participant and obtain his or her assent to participate in addition to the appropriate permission
gained from a legally authorized person. In the case of certain unequal relationships such as that of teacher-student, the student
may feel constrained from refusing to become a research subject. In such cases researchers should seek advice before
approaching the students. Such advice should be sought initially from the researcher’s Head of School.
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TMREC-EDU – Terms of Reference - Applicants

The TMREC-EDU will examine applications to ensure that the student has addressed
issues such as the risks and benefits which participants may be exposed to or experience,
and the informed consent process.

Feedback is generally provided within one week.

The following outcomes will be available to the TMREC-EDU:
o
Approval (approved, as is, with no conditions attached)
o
Contingent approval (approved, subject to implementation of recommended
changes)
o
Re-tabled (requires that the student and supervisor address questions posed by the
TMREC-EDU and communicate the changes to the TMREC-EDU)
o
Rejected (written reasons for the decision will be provided to the student and
supervisor and resubmission will be possible).
o
Judged as exempt from full ethical review

Constructive comments and suggestions identified during the review process will be
conveyed to the student and his/her supervisor.

The outcome of the TMREC-EDU review process will be notified both to the student and
his/her supervisor by email.

It is the responsibility of the student, and his/her supervisor, to ensure that any changes
requested by the TMREC-EDU are met.

The student must then apply to the UCD safety office (safety@ucd.ie) for insurance
indemnity.

Following receipt of approval from TMREC-EDU students will submit a signed (by student
and supervisor) hard copy of the application form along with the insurance certificate to
the education office.
Terms of Reference
Exemption from Review

Students seeking exemption from review must submit the exemption form and
supporting documentation to their research supervisor.

The research supervisor must approve and sign the hardcopy of the final form and return
it to the student.

The student must then apply to the UCD safety office (safety@ucd.ie) for insurance
indemnity.

Finally the student will submit a signed hard copy of the application form along with the
insurance certificate to the education office.
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TMREC-EDU – Terms of Reference - Applicants
Links with HREC-HS
 The TMREC-EDU will report directly to the College of Human Sciences Research Ethics
Committee.
 All student application forms, both exemption and full review are subject to auditing by
the College of Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee.
TMREC meeting dates 2014-15
Submit applications by
Wed, 5th November, 2014
Wed, 3rd December, 2014
Wed, 21st January, 2015
Wed, 25th February, 2015
Wed, 25th March, 2015
Wed, 29th April, 2015
29th October, 2014
26th November, 2014
14th January, 2015
18th February, 2015
18th March, 2015
22nd April, 2015
N.B. Changes to the original research design for which ethical approval had been granted
should be communicated immediately to the TMREC-EDU and supervisor.
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