GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY
School of Engineering & Built Environment
Student Research Project - Ethical Approval Cover Sheet
Student name:
Programme of Study:
Project title:
Supervisor name:
Ethical approval granted? Yes/No
Approval subject to (please tick as appropriate):
Permission letter from organisation agreeing to the work [ ]
Letter indicating parental permission will be sought [ ]
Information for participants being approved by supervisor [ ]
Consent forms being approved by supervisor [ ]
Disclosure application to be made to local authority [ ]
All experimental materials to be approved by ethics committee [ ]
Comments
Was another member of the ethics committee consulted? If so, state name
Ethics committee member name:
Signature:
Date:
SEBE/MYF/2014
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GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY
SEBE EC Form
School of Engineering & Built Environment: Post Grad Student Research Ethical Considerations
PART A – Background information [Please Write/Type all details clearly]
Name:
Email Address:
Supervisor Name:
Application Submission Date:
Intended Start Date for participant involvement:
[This date must be at least TWO Weeks after Submission Date]
Department: Construction and Surveying:  Mechanical, Electrical, Environmental Engineering: 
Computer, Communications and Interactive System: 
Programme Name or Code e.g. BSc Computing, MSc Networking, BPQ5S:
Undergraduate or Postgraduate:
PART B – Project Details
Title of project:
Main aim of study:
Number of research participants?
Who are the research participants?
How will you recruit them for your study?
Are all participants volunteers aged 18 or over?
Research Procedures:
Yes  No 
Questionnaires
Interviews
Focus Groups
Usability Testing
Other: (please specify)
1.
3.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes




No
No
No
No




2.
4.
Will any of these procedures cause discomfort, anxiety, stress or embarrassment?
Yes  No 
If so, is this unavoidable?
Yes  No 
If yes, please give details and explain how you will seek to minimise the impact of this.
(An extra page should be appended to this form with this information)
SEBE/MYF/2014
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PART C – University checklist
Will you provide a written/oral explanation of the project to the subject?
Yes  No 
Will you ask the research participants to fill in a consent form?
[Informed Consent may be assumed if a questionnaire is returned completed]
Yes  No 
Will you explain to the participants that you are a student and
undertaking degree studies?
Yes  No 
Will you explain to the research participants that they may not
benefit from your study?
Yes  No 
Will you offer your research participants the opportunity to decline
to take part?
Yes  No 
Will you offer your research participants the opportunity to withdraw
at any stage?
Yes  No 
Will you offer a guarantee of confidentiality?
Yes  No 
Will you offer anonymity?
Yes  No 
Will you adhere to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998?
Yes  No 
(An extra page should be appended to this form with further explanation if you select No to any of these
questions. Please check with your supervisor if you are unsure about any of these questions )
PART D – School checklist
Stage of submission:
Full proposal
 Materials check

Yes  No 
Involves under 18’s
If Yes:
Are they students at the university?
Are they friends or family?
Has a parental consent process been set-up?
Will a responsible adult be present during the study?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Involves vulnerable adults
Yes 




No
No
No
No




No 
(An extra page should be appended to this form with detailed explanation if you select Yes to this question)
SEBE/MYF/2014
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If your study involves Schools or Colleges
School or college permission obtained?
For under 18’s in Schools or Colleges
Have you applied to Disclosure Scotland for clearance?
If your study involves organisations
Name of organisation
Local authority (if public sector)
Has the organisation given permission?
Yes  No 
Yes  No 
Yes  No 
Yes  No 
Involves people or data from health or community care
[This is referring specifically to participants under the care of the NHS]
If Yes: Involves data only (statistical study)?
Yes  No 
Involves deception
Yes  No 
Involves manipulation of negative emotions
Yes  No 
Involves a potentially sensitive subject
(e.g. physical illness, mental illness, addiction,
criminal activity, sexual conduct, racism, religion)
Yes  No 
(Extra pages should be appended to this form with detailed explanation if you select Yes to any of the last
three questions.)
PART E - Declaration
I have read and understood the ethical guidelines issued by the School and this project does not
involve anything that would contravene those guidelines, except those areas specifically indicated in
this form, or appended to this form.
Signed:
(Student)
Date
Signed:
(Supervisor)
Please Note: Incomplete forms will be rejected and require resubmission
Date
SEBE/MYF/2014
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Guidance Notes
Please refer to the School Ethics Guidance Notes for Students for more detailed information.
Part A
Largely self-explanatory
Note that the submission date is the date on which you submit the application to the Research
Administrator (in M 509).
Part B
Participant Information
If the number of research participants is not known at this stage, indicate the number anticipated.
When asked: Who are the participants? Only a general answer describing the group from whom you
will select participants is expected (i.e. are they friends and family, other students, experts from your
subject area, or staff from your employer’s organisation).
Recruitment of Participants
Indicate whether you plan to personally invite volunteers to participate, or use posters, email or
social media. When using email, indicate whether you already have the email addresses you require
(spam and junk mail cannot be used to recruit participants).
PART C
Carefully consider your responses here. It is generally expected that your responses will be “Yes” to
comply with University ethical guidelines. However, it is accepted that anonymity and confidentially
cannot always be guaranteed, and some participants may have difficulties with consent forms. If you
reply “No” to any of these questions, please provide further explanation on a sheet appended to your
application.
Part D
If you are submitting this application following the completion and acceptance of your research
proposal, then the stage of submission is Full proposal, otherwise select Materials check.
There are inherent difficulties in ensuring that consent obtained from participants under 18 is fully
informed and that children in Schools are fully protected. Carefully consider whether your study can
be evaluated effectively with participants who are over 18 as this will simplify the process for you.
Deception, sensitive subjects and manipulation of negative moments are ethically very contentious.
To embark on a study of this nature, a detailed explanation must be provided.
SEBE/MYF/2014
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