Arts, Design and Humanities Ethics Procedures
Jump to:
- Research Ethics Pre-Screening Questions
- Ethics Application Procedures
- Ethics Worktribe Process Flow for UG/PGT Studies
- Faculty Guidance on Low Risk Research for UG and PGT Students
- DMU Research Ethics Code of Practice
- DMU Policies and Guidance
- Faculty supporting document templates for all study levels
- Timelines for re-submissions
- Module-level Block Approval process
- Contact
- ADH Ethics page on LearningZone
DMU requires that all research is subject to ethical consideration. If ethical approval is needed, all ADH faculty staff and students who wish to undertake research (academic or commercial) must obtain ethics approval prior to the commencement of research. Primary data collection must not begin until the correct ethics approval procedures have been completed and written authorisation of the proposed study from the relevant ethics review panel has been obtained.
To obtain ethical approval, please ensure that the study-appropriate procedures are followed (as detailed below).
Research Ethics Pre-Screening Questions
In order to determine if ethical review of a project is required, in the first instance complete the Worktribe Research Ethics Pre-Screening Questions form available on the DMU policies and external requirements web page before completing an application on Worktribe.
Research Ethics Pre-Screening Questions
Ethics Application Procedures
As of October 2022, all staff and students research ethics applications must be submitted using the Worktribe Ethics system. You can access the Worktribe ethics system using your DMU single sign-on details.
Please ensure that a Research Ethics Pre-Screening Questions form (link above) is completed in the first instance (to determine if ethics approval is required) before proceeding with the creation of a Worktribe ethics application.
Links to University Worktribe ethics training videos and user guides (for all ethics applicants, supervisors, reviewers and module ethics officers) are available through the ‘Help’ tab > Help Topics > 3. Ethics Training for Worktribe on the menu bar within the Worktribe system.
All Postgraduate Research (PGR) student (MPhil, PhD) and Staff ethics submissions are reviewed by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) review panel (reviewed and moderated).
Individual student Undergraduate/Taught Postgraduate (UG/PGT) student level studies(BA, BSc, MA, MArch, MSc) ethics submissions are reviewed at programme level (single review for low risk; escalate to FREC for medium risk). Please refer to the ‘Guidance on Low Risk Research for UG and PGT Students’ below.
For UG/PGT Approval Block Applications please refer to the ‘Module-level Block Approval’ section below.
Please be aware that the ethics review panel/module ethics officer will require a minimum of 2-3 weeks (from the date of submission – taking into account that additional review time may be required due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. holiday periods, strike action etc) to review/process an ethics application. A re-submitted application would require a further 2-weeks (from the date of re-submission) for review.
Ethics applications should be submitted and approved by the students supervisor (for student studies) at least 2-3 weeks in advance of the research taking place. Please bear this in mind when completing/submitting an ethics application on Worktribe.
Ethics Worktribe Process Flow for UG/PGT Studies
ADH Ethics UG PGT Worktribe Process Flow
Faculty Guidance on Low Risk Research for UG and PGT Students
In line with University policy UG/PGT research (approved at a programme level) should be low risk. In exceptional circumstances, medium risk research can be approved after consultation with the Faculty Head of Research. The University recommends that UG/PGT students should not undertake high risk research.
For ease of reference please refer to the ADH Faculty Guidance on Low Risk Research for UG and PGT Students.
For medium/high risk criteria, please refer to the University’s DMU Research Ethics Code of Practice (Appendix 2: Framework for Identifying Research Ethics Risk) available on the DMU policies and external requirements web page.
DMU Research Ethics Code of Practice
The University’s Research Ethics Code of Practice, must be read and referred to by all applicants, supervisors, module/programme leaders and reviewers when completing/assessing an ethics application.
See RCoP.
DMU Policies and Guidance
For all other DMU Policies and Guidance relating to ethics please refer to the DMU Policies and Resources web page.
The following resources can be found:
- Guidance regarding travel to areas that are designated as Amber by the FCDO
- Lone Worker Guidance (This guidance focuses on individuals who undertake research activities such as one-to-one interviews and focus groups, which may involve working off-site in unfamiliar surroundings (for example when visiting someone in their own home for the purposes conducting research).
- Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Children and Young People
- GDPR (UK General Data Protection Regulation guidance for researchers)
- Guidelines for Good Research Practice
Faculty supporting document templates for all study levels
If your study involves human participants, please submit as part of your Worktribe ethics application the required faculty approved ADH Participant form templates, available below. Please ensure you edit these templates to align with your study before uploading to your Worktribe ethics application.
If your study involves human participants:
- For anonymous online questionnaires, please complete and submit the ‘Anonymous Online Questionnaire Participant Information/Consent Text Template’.
- For other research methods, please complete and submit the ‘Participant Information Sheet’ and ‘Participant Consent form’.
- If your study involves interaction with children under aged 18 or vulnerable adults, please complete and submit the ‘Participant Information Sheet’ and ‘Parent/Guardian Consent form’.
Anonymous Online Questionnaire Participant Information/Consent Text Template
Participant Information Sheet
Participant Consent Form
Parent Guardian Consent Form
Timelines for re-submissions
Ethics applicants will be given a maximum of 8 weeks to address the panel's comments, revise and resubmit their application.
If a re-submission is not received within this timeframe, the application will be withdrawn. In such cases, a new application will need to be created and submitted for ethics review/approval.
This timeline reflects shared good practice across UK HEIs to ensure timely research ethics approval.
Module-Level Block Approval Applications
All research, except for those exclusively based on publicly available secondary data and published literature, requires ethical review.
Whilst normally this review is done on a project‐by‐project basis, it is recognised that for UG/PGT level (BA, BSc, MA, MArch, MSc) there are occasions where students may complete very similar or identical projects that are low risk. In such cases, it may be proportionate to approve research at module level, rather than individually for each student.
This applies to where basic research is undertaken by students as part of a taught module on a routine basis or as part of a programme of work that is extremely low risk. Such cases will be typified by, for the most part, a consistency in research processes and methods, and where the research is assessed to be low risk. This will include projects where pedagogic research might be involved, and where students are engaged as co‐producers of knowledge through the undertaking of research in their capacity as consultants.
NOTE: Block Approval is NOT judged appropriate for Dissertation Modules.
In the first instance, the module leader or the programme leader should have a discussion with the Faculty Head of Research Ethics (FHRE), Dr Kyungeun Sung (kyungeun.sung@dmu.ac.uk) or the Deputy FHRE, Dr Alison Hall (alison.hall@dmu.ac.uk) to determine if the study meets the criteria for Block Approval.
Block Approval Applications must be submitted by the module leader or programme leader via the Worktribe System. Please see below the Block Approval Application Guide and Form and the Block Approval Process Flow Chart.
Block Application Process Flow
Block Ethics Approval Process Guide + Form
Contact
For general faculty ethics submission queries please contact: adhethics@dmu.ac.uk
For Worktribe system related enquiries please contact: worktribe.ethics@dmu.ac.uk
For other ethics related matters please contact:
Faculty Ethics Committee Chair
Dr Kyungeun Sung
Faculty Head of Research Ethics
Chair of ADH Research Ethics Committee
kyungeun.sung@dmu.ac.uk
Deputy Faculty Ethics Committee Chair
Dr Alison Hall
alison.hall@dmu.ac.uk
ADH Ethics page on LearningZone
Access to ADH Ethics information is available to all faculty staff and students through the ADH Ethics page on LearningZone.