Research Ethics and Integrity
The University of Nottingham requires all staff and students who are engaged in research to maintain the highest standards of ethics and integrity whilst conducting their research.
Research principles
Researchers must adhere to the university's principles for research ethics and integrity which are outlined within the documents below. Please also visit the university's Research and Integrity webpages.
Research Ethics Committee
The Research Ethics Committee (REC) manages and monitors research and integrity procedures for the school.
All research carried out within the school by staff and students which involves the participation of human subjects and/or their data must first be reviewed by the Research Ethics Committee to ensure compliance with the university guidelines and good practice as detailed in the Code of Practice for Research Ethics Committees (CoPREC). Research in these cases cannot commence until an ethics application has been submitted to REC and a favourable ethical opinion (FEO) has been received. The process of full ethical review may take between four to six weeks therefore please plan accordingly. Research participants should not be approached until FEO has been granted.
Application for Ethical Review
This flowchart may assist you if you are unsure if your research requires ethical review by REC. If still in doubt or you have any other queries relating to research ethics, please contact the Ethics admin team via the email link below. Full details about the application process are available below. Please follow the appropriate link for the application templates and guidance.
Please follow the links below for further guidance and the process pages.
Complaints
Complaints or expressions of concern about the unethical conduct of research by SSP researchers can be directed to the school Research Ethics Committee in the first instance. The Committee is responsible for initially responding to any evidence that research is carried out that is either:
- not approved by the school Ethics Committee or
- not conducted in conformity with the proposal approved by the school Research Ethics Committee
The school adheres to the Code of Practice on Handling Allegations of Research Misconduct