Research ethics and integrity
Application guidance for ethical approval
Ethical approval processes for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students.
For undergraduate and taught postgraduate, the application form has been divided into two separate forms.
The 2 forms are:
- Ethical confirmation: for projects which do not include the recruitment of participants or use any confidential data.
- Application for ethical approval: for projects which would involve the recruitment of participants or confidential data.
Ethical confirmation form
The ethical confirmation is for projects which do not include the recruitment of participants or use any confidential data. Examples of this kind of methodology would be:
- Literature review
- Service evaluation
- Audit
- Meta-analysis which does not collect new data
- Systematic review which does not collect new data
Application for ethical approval form
The application for ethical approval is for projects which would involve the recruitment of participants or confidential data. Examples of this kind of methodology would be:
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Focus groups
- Action research
- Intervention study
- Use of personal records or data
Research ethics and integrity
Research at York St John University is conducted according to the principles set out in the University Research Ethics Policy. The policy applies to all staff and students of the University (including those with visiting or honorary contracts) and to third parties (for example, staff from other institutions) who propose to undertake research at York St John or with York St John students. Research ethics is understood as the moral principles which underpin our attitudes and at York St John we expect researchers to respect the way people are treated, to strive to do good and not harm and to uphold fairness, impartiality and equality.
Research integrity concerns the attributes we expect of ourselves and others. At York St John we expect all researchers to demonstrate the characteristics of honesty, transparency, rigour, accountability and respect at all times.
Data management
York St John supports the principles set out in the UK Concordat on open research data, and supports the principle of open access for both research data and outputs, recognising the benefits to the public and wider academic community. These principles are set out in the York St John University data management policy, and which outline that all researchers have a duty to:
- Take responsible ownership of all research data that they generate.
Follow legal, regulatory and compliance needs. - Ensure the maximum possible security and confidentiality of research data and that personal, confidential or sensitive data is not disclosed to unauthorised recipients.
- Ensure the integrity of research data.
- Ensure the appropriate availability of data.
Therefore, integrated into the research ethics form, is a section on data management, focusing on the storage, sharing and availability of your data. To find out more, please refer to the York St John University open data policy.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a requirement for organisations to carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (docx, 71.8 kB) (DPIA) prior to embarking on a project that involves the use of personal data. A DPIA enables you to:
- Identify and plan how to deal with the associated privacy risks.
- Ensure data protection compliance is built into the design of the project, demonstrate openness and transparency.
- Evidence compliance with your legal obligations.
York St John University's DPIA procedure must be followed when research involving the collection of individuals' personal data. The university secretary is the data protection officer and responsible for providing advice, ensuring the DPIA process is completed appropriately and monitoring its performance pursuant to GDPR.
Support
If you require any additional support or guidance, please contact your research supervisor.
