School of Literature and Languages
Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics
Ethics Committee
Procedures
1.
Introduction
This document should be read in conjunction with the University’s Notes for Guidance on research
ethics, available via a link at http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/res/ResearchEthics/reasREethicshomepage.aspx
The School of Literature and Languages has an Ethics Committee chaired by Professor Catherine Leglu
(School Research Officer). The Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics Ethics
Committee (comprised of Professor Jane Setter, Dr Jon Clenton, Dr Clare Wright, and Ms Anne
Whitbread) is empowered to process all research applications from members of the department (staff and
students) who are conducting projects involving human participants. English Language and Applied
Linguistics projects involving vulnerable participants (typically children under 16 yrs, the elderly and
those suffering from certain disabilities) will need a CRB Check.
The School of Literature and Languages has an Ethics Committee remit is:

to advise on the form and wording of applications for ethical approval, and to advise on the
conduct of research to be compliant with the University’s Guidelines;

to determine whether it can recommend that the application be approved under the Exceptions
clause as given in Paragraph 6 in the Notes for Guidance, and, if not, to require the applicant to
submit it to the University’s Ethics and Research Committee;

if the application falls within the Exceptions clause and satisfies the requirements given below, to
grant ethical approval for the project to go ahead.
Your application to the School Ethics Committee must be made BEFORE you begin your research
project. You will be notified of the Committee’s decision as quickly as possible, and you should NOT
proceed with the project until then.
The deadlines for submission of a form will be published at the beginning of each academic year; English
Language / Applied Linguistics projects will be considered on a fortnightly basis, and a response will be
given by the end of the week following submission.
Responsibility for the ethical conduct of your project lies with the Principal Investigator – in most cases,
your supervisor – who makes the application on your behalf.
Ethical approval means that the Committee raises no objections to the project on ethical grounds.
Decisions relating to the project viability rest with the researcher and (where relevant) the supervisor.
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2.
Who should consent be obtained from?
(i)
Parental signatures are needed for children up to their 16th birthday
(ii)
The child’s signature, or at the very least verbal consent, should be obtained for children aged 12
and above, and below that age if it is felt appropriate
(iii)
The child’s agreement to go ahead with the research should be obtained in all cases
(iv)
Young people aged 16 or over can give consent without parental consent being sought.
3.
Procedure
Each submission to the Ethics Committee must include the following documents.
1.
A completed Ethics Committee Project Submission Cover Sheet, given below.
2.
A Project Description, explaining:

the purpose of the project

how participants are to be selected, including criteria and method of approaching participants

what the participants will be asked to do (i.e. the procedures)

in what form and where the data will be stored, and

who will have access to the data
The Project Description is to be read by the School Ethics Committee and should be written in a clear but
technical manner.
3.
An Information Sheet for the participants (more than one if there are different categories of
subject). The following guidance is taken from the Notes for Guidance:
“The Information Sheet must be on headed notepaper and include a contact name and telephone* number.
If any of the project investigators are students, this information must be included and their name
provided. It must be written in language that is appropriate to the participants and can be easily
understood by them. It must include a summary of the research to be undertaken and its purposes together
with a full and clear account of what will be required of the subject. Serious consideration should be
given to consent procedures for minors even though consent will have to be sought from parents,
guardians or other responsible adults.’ (*This should be a university network number and NOT the
researcher’s mobile number.)
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The following points need to be covered in the Information Sheet:
(i) How the participants are selected and contacted;
(ii) The arrangements for informing participants General Practitioner, if necessary;
(iii) The arrangements for expenses and other payments, if any, to be made to the participants;
(iv) The arrangements to allow participants to withdraw at any stage if they so wish;
(v) The arrangements to ensure the confidentiality of any material collected during the project, and
arrangements for its storage and eventual disposal;
(vi) The arrangements for publishing the research results and, if confidentiality might be affected, for
obtaining written consent for this;
(vii) The arrangements for providing participants, if they so wish, with research results;
(viii) A standard statement, indicating the process of ethical review at the University undergone by the
project, as follows:
‘This project has been subject to ethical review by the School Ethics and Research Committee
following the University’s Notes for Guidance on research ethics, and has been given a
favourable ethical opinion for conduct’.
A template for the Information Sheet is included below. You should insert your name, and contact details
(not your mobile number), as well as the name and contact details for your supervisor, in the top left
corner of the page, as shown in the example below (the text on the left shows what appears in the
template and the text on the right of the arrow shows an example of how the information should be
presented):
Researcher:
[Student’s name]
Phone: [Number]
Email: [address]
Supervisor:
[Supervisor’s name]
Phone: [Number]
Email: [address]
Researcher:
Alice Green
Phone: 01189333333
Email: a.z.z.green@reading.ac.uk
Supervisor:
Dr Jane Setter
Phone: 0118 3786089
Email: j.e.setter@reading.ac.uk
A copy of the Information Sheet/Consent Form must be provided for retention by each participant.
NOTES:
Point (ii) relates in practice to participants who have been selected because they are clients of the health or
social services.
Point (iii) will in almost all cases not apply to SLL projects.
Point (vi), last clause: state that the consent forms will be kept securely in the School of Literature and
Languages for a reasonable time after the project, and that the data will be kept securely by you and that
only you, your supervisor and your examiners will have access to it.
4.
A Consent Form (or consent forms if there is more than one category of subject), using the
format shown below, but with the wording adapted to the project’s particular characteristics.
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PLEASE NOTE: The consent form must be printed back-to-back with the information sheet. There must
be two copies, one copy retained by the subject and the other by the researcher.
5.
In the case of carrying out the study with children below the age of consent (16 for England) and
vulnerable adults for a period of frequent and/or intensive visits a Criminal Record Background check
will be required. For further information regarding CRB requirements please contact Mrs Anne
Whitbread (a.e.whitbread@reading.ac.uk).
In summary, your application for approval should consist of (at least):
1
Project submission cover sheet
2
Project description
3
Information sheet for participants
4
A consent form, printed on the reverse of the Information Sheet
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The CRB check clearance (if applicable)
After consulting your supervisor regarding the adequacy of your documents, please print them off and
hand them to Mrs Anne Whitbread, who will check them and pass them on to the Committee at the time
of its next meeting.
Questionnaires
If your research instrument is a questionnaire, and you are not recording any details that allow your
respondents to be identified, then a separate consent form is not necessary. However, you must include in
the header of the questionnaire:
(i) a brief description of the project
(ii) the words: “By completing and returning this questionnaire I understand that I am
giving consent for my responses to be used for the purposes of this research project”.
Your ethical approval application for a questionnaire-based investigation should therefore consist of:

Project submission cover form

Project description

Information sheet for participants

First page of questionnaire
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School of Literature and Languages
Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics
ETHICS COMMITTEE
Project Submission
Note
All sections of this form must be completed.
Principal Investigator (Supervisor):
Student name:
Department:
Title of Project:
Proposed starting date:
Number of participants that you require consent from (approximate):
Brief description of Project: [300-400 words, to be provided on a separate sheet]
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge the Ethics and Research Committee have been made aware of
all relevant information. I undertake to inform the Committee of any such information which
subsequently becomes available whether before or after the research has begun.
I confirm that a list of the names and addresses of the participants in this project will be compiled and that
this, together with a copy of the Consent Form, will be retained. All copies of the Consent Forms will be
submitted with a copy of the dissertation.
Signed:
…………………………….(Supervisor)
Date…………………………….
…………………………….(Student)
Date…………………………….
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School of Literature and Languages
Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics
ETHICS COMMITTEE
Consent Form
Project title: [TYPE PROJECT TITLE HERE]
I understand the purpose of this research and understand what is required of me; I have read and
understood the Information Sheet relating to this project, which has been explained to me by [TYPE
YOUR NAME HERE]. I agree to the arrangements described in the Information Sheet in so far as they
relate to my participation.
I understand that my/my child’s [DELETE AS APPROPRIATE] participation is entirely voluntary and
that I have / he/she has [DELETE AS APPROPRIATE] the right to withdraw from the project at any
time.
I have received a copy of this Consent Form and of the accompanying Information Sheet.
Name:
Signed:
Date:
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Department of English Language and Applied
Linguistics
Researcher:
[Student’s name]
Phone: [Number]
Email: [address]
Supervisor:
[Supervisor’s name]
Phone: [Number]
Email: [address]
URS Building
The University of Reading
Whiteknights, PO Box 219
Reading RG6 6AW
Phone 01183788141
Email appling@reading.ac.uk
INFORMATION SHEET
[insert the description of the project here, written in language that can be easily understood by the
participants. You should explain, at least:
The purpose of the research;
How the participants have been selected and what they are requested to do;
How the data will be collected and how the participants are going to be contacted;
How the data will be stored, to ensure confidentiality, and for how long;
How the data will be anonymised, if necessary;
How participants can withdraw at any stage if they so wish.
This project has been subject to ethical review by the School Ethics and Research Committee, and has
been allowed to proceed under the exceptions procedure as outlined in paragraph 6 of the
University’s Notes for Guidance on research ethics.
If you have any queries or wish to clarify anything about the study, please feel free to contact my
supervisor at the address above or by email at [include supervisor’s email address here]
Signed
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School of Literature and Languages
Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics
Please go through the checklist below and make sure all the boxes can be ticked before
submitting your ethics document. Enclose a copy of the completed checklist to your ethics
document.
A. Does your ethics document include
a Project Submission, Project Description, Information Sheet & Consent Form?
B. In your Information Sheet for the participants, have you mentioned the following
points? Put a tick in if you have.
The data will be securely kept on a password-protected computer or in a locked
drawer.
Only the researcher and their supervisors will have access to the data.
The data will be used for academic purposes only.
The data will be anonymous or pseudonyms will be used.
The data will be destroyed immediately after the completion of the dissertation.
The participants’ privacy and confidentiality will be carefully observed.
The participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time they wish
to.
C. Ensure you have done all the necessary checks.
Have you used the University of Reading logo on all the ethics document pages?
Have you checked your ethics documents with your supervisor?
Have you and your supervisor signed the finalised ethics documents?
Have you included a copy of the first page of your questionnaire, if you are using
one?
D. Only for those who will be working at schools with children and if the school has
required for a CRB check.
Have you submitted a copy of your CRB check?
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