Ethical Approval

The University requires research to be consistent with basic ethical principles. These are those general judgements which serve as a basic justification for the many particular ethical prescriptions and evaluations of human actions.

The University in particular is guided by three specific basic ethical principles:

Respect the autonomy of human research subjects
Do no harm to researchers or human research subjects
Act justly towards those who contribute to your research

The aim of the University College Ethics Panels is to facilitate research whilst protecting the University, researchers and research subjects. The College Ethics Panels consider applications for ethical approval of research projects for academic staff and for postgraduate research students. The information contained in these web pages provides guidance on the operation of the College Ethics Panels, together with information and resources on ethical practice in research. It should be viewed as a starting point rather than a comprehensive guide, as the requirements of each project are unique. Hence, the panels seek not to be prescriptive, but to ensure that research carried out within the University is consistent with basic ethical principles.