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RESEARCH ETHICS APPLICATION PROCEDURE

POSTGRADUATE BY COURSEWORK

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Assoc. Prof. Dr Norziaton Ismail Khan

Head of Research Ethics Secretariat

Faculty of Accountancy

Fellow Research Ethics Committee UiTM

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CONTENT

INTRODUCTION ON RESEARCH ETHICS: PG COURSEWORK

EXAMPLES OF RETURNED APPLICATIONS

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR PG COURSEWORK

When to apply

Requirements

Processing timeline

Q & A

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In order to protect your research participants and yourself, it is vital that you:

Educate yourself about the relevant ethical principles and guidelines;

Design your research in accordance with these principles and guidelines;

Obtain the necessary approval before interacting with your participants, and

Continuously put good ethical principles into practice.

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All students’ research must be carried out under the supervision of a faculty advisor who is responsible for ensuring that the student researcher carries out the research in a safe and ethical manner.

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Step

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DOES YOUR INTENDED RESEARCH INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING METHODOLOGIES?

Interviews or oral histories

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Questionnaires or surveys

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Analysis of any kind of social media*

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Ethnography or observation

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Any other methodology that involves live human participants or their data?

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*For further guidance on issues to consider when using social media in your research, see https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_487729_smxx.pdf

*Ethical decision-making and Internet research : http://www.aoir.org/reports/ethics.pdf

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Do you need ethics approval?�

A checklist will help you to know whether you are required to seek ethics approval for your research.

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Students are advised to discuss their project, methods and ethical issues with the lecturer (Research Methodology) or dissertation supervisor

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If you are required to apply for Ethics approval, you should not begin your research until your application has obtained approval.

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DOES YOUR INTENDED RESEARCH INVOLVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING GROUPS OR THEIR DATA?

Patients

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Children aged under 17

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Vulnerable adults (those who may be unable to give informed consent or are in a dependent position)

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People engaged in criminal or illegal activities (including visiting websites even if there is no direct contact with individuals)

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VULNERABLE GROUP�Those people who are less able to protect their own interests�

ill health

someone who is too young to legally consent to participate / too old to fully understand the consequences of participation

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a person of minority status (e.g., a foreign worker or a refugee)

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A person in a hierarchical structure who feels obliged to do something they may not normally want to do.

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WILL YOUR RESEARCH REQUIRE ANY TRAVEL OR TAKE PLACE IN ANY “HIGH RISK” LOCATIONS?�

  • A foreign country (especially if there is a travel warning in place)
  • Anywhere where you might put yourself at personal risk by visiting or with which you are unfamiliar
  • Any other location you think might be "high risk"

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The use of secondary data must meet some key ethical conditions:�

  1. Data must be de-identified before releasing to the researcher – to remove details from the information
  2. Consent of study subjects can be reasonably presumed
  3. Outcomes of the analysis must not allow re-identifying participants
  4. Use of the data must not result in any damage or distress

https://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UREC-Good-Practice-Guidelines-on-Secondary-Data-Research.pdf

Can all secondary data be exempted from research approval?

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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP) �APPLICATION FOR UiTM RESEARCH ETHICS �APPROVAL FOR �UNDERGRADUATE & POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS (BY COURSE WORK )

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F/BERC 1

Application Form

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F/BERC 2

Participant Information Sheet

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F/BERC 3

Assent Form (participants age 7-17 years old)

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F/BERC 4

Exemption Form

Documents related to the application for research ethics approval of Master's students (by course work)

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Applicants are required to complete ALL sections.

F/BERC 1: Application Form for Ethics Approval

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Applicants are required to complete ALL sections.

F/BERC 1: Application Form for Ethics Approval

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Applicants are required to complete ALL sections.

F/BERC 1: Application Form for Ethics Approval

The date should be after Research Ethics approval.

Allow at least two months interval from the date of complete document submission (e.g. if completed documents are submitted in Sept 2021, the expected date of initial data collection should be in Nov 2021)

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F/BERC2 – PARTICIPANT information sheet

LEAVE BLANK – FOR PARTICIPANT TO COMPLETE

If the participant Information Sheet is used to explain to the legal guardian (LAR) of a minor, phrase sentences using “your child” instead of “you”.

Provide the name and direct telephone numbers of contact person for the study.

BILINGUAL

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F/BERC3 – PARTICIPANT information sheet

LEAVE BLANK – FOR PARTICIPANT TO COMPLETE

Provide the name and direct telephone numbers of contact person for the study.

BILINGUAL

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F/BERC3 – ASSENT FORM

LEAVE BLANK – FOR PARTICIPANT TO COMPLETE

Provide the name and direct telephone numbers of contact person for the study.

BILINGUAL

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F/BERC4 – EXEMPTION FORM

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F/BERC4 – EXEMPTION FORM

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F/BERC4 – EXEMPTION FORM

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To apply for research ethics approval: fill up

  1. F/BERC 1 (APPLICATION FORM)
  2. F/BERC 2 (CONSENT FORM)
  3. F/BERC 3 (ASSENT - if participants are minors)

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To apply for exemption:

F/BERC 4 (Exemption form)

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THREE (3) CATEGORIES OF DECISION:

��Approved: Recommend to approve without changes

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Conditional Approval: Recommend approval with corrections:

Minor amendments (2 weeks)

Major amendments (1 month)��Rejected – Data has been collected prior to approval or not enough documentation to support the study

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Reviewer’s Decision

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SOCIAL SCIENCE/BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

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SOCIAL SCIENCE/BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

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  1. Ensure that the application forms are complete and signed by members of the research team before submission

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  • Submission of all forms prescribed must be in English, with the exception of research conducted in other languages (with Senate approval)

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  • Before submission to the F/BERC, applications for ethics approval or exemption from ethical review must be approved and endorsed by COORDINATOR

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  • Incomplete applications and applications with major grammatical errors will be returned to applicants for amendments

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  • ALL applications must be submitted 2 months before data collection.

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“LET’S GET ETHICAL”

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����Ethics and Publication Unit�Research Management Centre, UiTM��(sharing of some of the information in the slides)

Amirah Abdul Rahman, PhD

Ethics

Ethics and Publication Unit

Research ManageSpecnt Centre, UiTM