Edge Research Ethics Guidance and Research Ethics Committee Terms of Reference
Introduction
Edge requires that all the research and evaluation it undertakes is conducted to the highest standards. To support this, Edge’s Research Ethics Policy, which was informed by the British Educational Research Association Ethical Guidelines and the Government Social Research Unit professional guidance, sets out the principles underlying Edge’s approach to research ethics and provides practical guidance on how to apply those principles to our work.
Alongside the policy, a Research Ethics Checklist [add link] has been designed to be used at the early stage of a proposal or project to help researchers consider the ethical implications of a study and the arrangements that need to be put in place to meet our ethical obligations. If certain criteria are met, researchers need to submit the project for review to Edge’s Research Ethics Committee (REC).
Which projects should be submitted to the REC?
It is anticipated that projects will be reviewed by Edge’s REC if:
- research involves human participants;
- participants will be aged 18 or under at the time of the study;
- participants could be considered vulnerable adults;
- the research focuses on stressful or culturally sensitive subjects;
- the research involves deception (ie where research participants are not fully informed about the nature of the research because it might influence their response and therefore bias the findings) or significant departures from normal practices in terms of informed consent;
- it is required by the commissioner or funder.
However, the research project will not be expected to be reviewed by the Edge REC if it is being reviewed by another independent trusted REC, such as a university REC, in case of a collaborative project.
REC governance
Formally, the REC is an advisory body that makes recommendations to Edge, with the ultimate decision and responsibility resting with Dr Andrea Laczik, Director of Research, as representative of Edge’s senior leadership.
The approach of the REC is to start from the position that all researchers at Edge are aiming to conduct research ethically and the REC’s role is to provide constructive support so that researchers can be confident that they have appropriate processes and safeguards in place before proceeding with the project. It is also important to note that the REC will review the project in terms of ethics specifically; is does not pass judgement on the methods being used.
The REC is Chaired by Professor Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Edge Trustee, and is supported by Professor Chris Winch (Edge Trustee) Dr Natasha Kersh (UCL IoE), Dr Lynne Rogers, (UCL IoE), Professor Prue Huddleston (University of Warwick) and Professor Kevin Orr as External Advisors, and Ann de Caires, the Ethics Administrator. If Professor Ann-Marie Bathmaker is unavailable, then Professor Chris Winch will step in as Temporary REC Chair as needed. When a review takes place, membership of the REC is made up of experienced researchers (those who are a senior researcher or higher grade). The intention is for the REC to be diverse in terms of the backgrounds and characteristics of its members wherever possible.
A REC review requires a minimum of two members and a maximum of three members (including the REC Chair). The REC members reviewing a project must be independent of the project being reviewed, i.e. they must not be leading the project. In addition, the REC will be meeting every year to review its terms of reference and its process, which will include inviting feedback from applicants to help refine or improve its approach.
Submission process
To submit a project to be reviewed, the research team must complete a Research Ethics Review Form [add link] and Checklist, which should be emailed to ethics.committee@edge.co.uk. All Edge researchers will be expected to have read Edge’s Research Ethics Policy and to have taken specific training courses in research ethics, such as, Information Security and Data Protection, Research Integrity, and take a refresh course every 2 years. Once an application has been submitted, The Ethics Administrator will review it first before passing it to the Chair. If further clarification is needed they will arrange a short discussion with the applicant in order to better understand the project and to raise any specific questions or issues.
The REC will discuss applications as and when needed. It is anticipated the review process will take about two weeks before the applicant know the outcome. However, if a project requires an urgent review, a request can be sent to the REC Chair. This request needs to briefly explain the reasons behind the urgency and the consequences if the review is not conducted.
Outcomes of a REC review
Once the review is completed, the REC will send a letter to the applicant outlining the outcome of the review. The three possible outcomes are:
- approved;
- approved but with a number of conditions to be met within a specified timeframe;
- not approved, resubmission required.
If the outcome is approved but with a number of conditions to be met (such as consent forms being updated), evidence that this has been done can be confirmed through Chair’s action (i.e. the applicant can communicate directly with the Chair or a designated member of the REC rather than the whole committee).