I need to get ethics approval for my research
Prepare an ethics application that comes back with fewer revisions, and plan your timeline around the review.
In short
Start here, today. Find your university's research ethics office website. Note the submission deadlines or board meeting dates, the stated review times, and whether your study is likely to need full board review or a lighter delegated or expedited review (the names vary). Download the current application form and consent templates. This takes about 30 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
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Start earlier than feels necessary
Work backwards from your data collection date. Allow time to write the application, for your supervisor to review and sign it, for the board to review it, and for at least one round of revisions. Ask the ethics office or students who applied recently how long reviews have actually been taking.
Talk to the ethics office before you submit
Ethics staff can often tell you in advance what reviewers will ask about, and many offices will discuss a draft. This helps most with online research, research with Indigenous communities, children or other groups that need extra protections, and research in another country. If you're working abroad, ask whether you also need approval from a local body there.
Write consent materials people can read
Start from your institution's templates. Use plain language your participants will understand, and translate where needed. Say what taking part involves, how long it takes, the risks and benefits, how to withdraw and until when, and how the data will be used and stored.
Plan data storage and anonymity in detail
Say exactly where data will live, who can access it, how it's protected, when identifiers will be removed or kept separately, and how long data will be kept. Check your university's rules on approved storage, because some cloud services aren't allowed for identifiable data. In Canada, DMP Assistant can help you write a data management plan alongside the application.
Be honest about risk
Describe realistic risks, including emotional discomfort, loss of privacy and risks to you as the researcher, and what you'll do about each. Reviewers are more uneasy about an application that claims there's no risk at all than one that names the risks and shows how they'll be handled.
Learn why applications come back
Common reasons include consent forms written too technically, unclear recruitment (who approaches participants, and could anyone feel pressured to say yes), vague data storage, missing interview guides or questionnaires, and details that don't match between sections. Before submitting, read the whole application as a reviewer would and check that numbers, dates and procedures agree everywhere.
Plan for revisions and amendments
Answer each requested change point by point, and make the change in the documents themselves, not only in your reply. After approval, changes to recruitment, questions, sites or data handling usually need an amendment before you put them into practice. Don't collect any data, pilot interviews included, until you have approval in writing.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- Your data collection date is fixed, but you have no idea how long approval will take.
- The form asks questions you hadn't thought about yet, such as where data will be stored and who can see it.
- Your application has come back with requested changes and you aren't sure how to respond.
- You're tempted to start a few interviews or a quick survey while you wait.
Why this happens
Research involving people, and in many places identifiable data about them, usually needs approval from a research ethics board before you collect anything. Some studies, such as those using only publicly available information, may be exempt, but ask the ethics office to confirm that in writing rather than deciding it yourself. The name differs: REB in Canada, IRB in the United States, HREC in Australia, and usually an ethics committee in the UK and much of Europe. Research with animals normally goes to a separate animal care committee. The principles are much the same everywhere: informed consent, keeping risk low, protecting privacy and treating participants fairly.
Students tend to underestimate ethics in two ways. Writing the application takes real thinking, because it forces decisions about recruitment, consent and data that you may not have made yet. And the review takes time, often including a round of requested changes. Neither means you're doing it wrong. Both are reasons to start well before you need your data.
Worth a look (4)
- DMP AssistantA free Canadian tool for writing a data management plan, useful for the storage and access sections of an ethics application.
- List of Resources for Finding ETDsThis directory lists national and regional thesis collections around the world, from Theses Canada to Shodhganga. It's handy for finding past theses to see how others shaped theirs.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalThis very large database of dissertations and theses is strongest for North American universities, and many records include full text. It's usually available through your university library.
- The Thesis WhispererInger Mewburn's long-running blog about doing a PhD covers thesis writing, supervision, productivity and life after the degree. It's warm and practical, with plenty of readers' stories.
When to bring someone in
Your research ethics office is the right first contact for questions about the process, and staff there are usually glad to help before you submit. Your supervisor normally has to review and sign the application, so build in time for that. Your library may have research data management staff who can help with the storage section. If your study involves Indigenous communities, check the specific requirements in your country and institution, which may include community engagement and agreements before the research begins.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify