MBA512 Research Proposal

Ethics Approval Form (Westford University College)

A: Applicant Information

Full Name:

Student Number:

Email Address:

Name Of Programme (if applicable): e.g., Master of Business Administration

Module Code:

Module Name:

Is this a revised resubmission? Yes/No

Supervisor Email Address:

B: Project Details

Project title:

Start Date:

End Date:

Will your research be conducted online? If not please indicate the location:

Select the nature of your research:

· Reviewing existing non-ethically sensitive literature

· Reviewing existing literature which may be considered ethically sensitive.

· Non-ethically sensitive practical research

· Ethically sensitive practical research

Advice notes:

Ethically sensitive research: anything involving humans, including surveys, interviews and samples; collection of data deemed 'sensitive' according to GDPR rules; animal subjects requiring Home Office license; genetic modification; computer "hacking" on anything other than your own systems or those provided specifically for that purpose (such as Hacklab systems).

Practical research: all research involving observations and measurements, including practical work, experiments, surveys, fieldwork, interviews, etc. NB any research project that is not based exclusively on analysing previously published data is defined as a 'practical' project.

C: External Projects (If Applicable)

Name of External Body: None

Status of External Application (if applicable):

· Not yet applied for

· Approved

· Pending

· Declined

· External ethical approval not required.

External ethics application reference:

Date approved (if applicable):

D: Studies involving humans

Does the project involve human participants in any way including surveys?

· Yes

· No

E: Studies with human participants (tick all that apply)

· E1. You will describe the main experimental procedures to participants in advance, so that they are informed about what to expect.

· E2. You will inform participants that their participation is voluntary.

· E3. You will obtain explicit informed consent for participation.

· E4. If the research is observational, you will ask participants for their consent to being observed.

· E5. You will tell participants that they may withdraw from the research at any time and for any reason.

· E6. With questionnaires you will give participants the option of omitting questions they do not want to answer

· E7. You will tell participants their data will be treated with full confidentiality and that, if published, it will not be identifiable as theirs unless they explicitly consent to be identified.

· E8. You will comply with all GDPR requirements outlined in the Universities policy document.

· E9. You will debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give them a brief explanation of the study)

· E10. You will NOT deliberately mislead participants in any way.

· E11. Your study will NOT involve a significant risk of participants or researchers experiencing either physical or psychological distress or discomfort.

E12. Will the project involve members of any special groups listed below, or another vulnerable group? (Tick all that apply)

· Children (under 16 years of age)

· Schoolchildren of all ages

· Any person who may have difficulty understanding information provided to them.

· Patients

· People in custody

· People engaged in illegal activities (e.g., drug taking)

· Other, please specify:

G Details of proposed research

G1 Aims of study and rationale.

Advice notes:

Provide an overview of why the research is being suggested, what the researchers aim to achieve, and what impact this may have (max 300 words). Write this as a summary for non-expert readers.

G2 External Partners

List any organisations or partner groups to be involved in the proposed project (max 300 words).

G3 Expertise

Advice notes:

Where appropriate make a statement about the qualifications/expertise of the researcher (or planned training) (max 300 words). For example, if the researcher is providing counselling, using clinical psychometrics, taking blood, working with samples, working with vulnerable groups etc.

G4 Participants

Advice notes:

Where applicable state the number of participants you intend to recruit (max 300 words). Provide a description of the participants, including recruitment methods, age, exclusion/inclusion criteria, and any other relevant demographic information.

G5 Materials and Apparatus

Advice Notes:

Describe the materials & apparatus that you need to conduct your study (max 300 words). You should name any specific tests, questionnaires, etc. that you are using. If conducting interviews either an indicative list of questions or themes that will be discussed must be provided. Write this as an outline for non-expert readers, please do NOT give technical details of any apparatus used (except where of ethical relevance).

G6 Procedure

Advice notes:

Describe each stage of how your proposed study will be carried out (max 300 words). Remember to list your chosen methodology or methodologies. Write this as a summary for non-expert readers.

H. Ethical Issues

What ethical issues (if any) does your project raise? How will you mitigate these ethical issues? – Max 400 words

Confirmation/Declaration

I Confirm that: (tick boxes)

· I am aware I need to submit a Risk Assessment and will do so before commencing the proposed study. Note, all studies except Literature Reviews must complete an appropriate risk assessment prior to commencing the study. (Note: you must follow whatever procedures your university and/or School have in place for the review and approval of risk assessment. Students should seek advice from their supervisor).

· I have read and understood Westford University College policy on research ethics and any equivalent School Policy.

· For each working location (including university facilities and my home), I will identify what to do and who to contact in case of emergency, and will make myself aware of any existing safety, First Aid, or emergency procedures.

· Any data collected from experiments will be stored securely within a week in Westford University College facilities following the guidance set out in the University’s Data Storage Policy.

· I understand that it is my responsibility to ensure compliance with any relevant regulatory or legal requirements (such as data protection legislation, stored tissue regulations, animal experimentation licensing, etc).

· The proposed study will not discriminate against participants on the grounds of race, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, marriage, and civil partnership, and/or age.

· I have completed all sections of this form fully and accurately.

· I understand that should I receive an Approval with Specific Conditions, I will need to comply with the Conditions set out in the Decision email

· I understand that should my application not be Approved, I will not be permitted to conduct any work on my proposed project. (In such circumstances a revised or alternative application should be submitted.)

· I understand that should I subsequently amend my study after approval has been given I will inform the ethics committee of the change, and that changes that materially affect the study may require a further submission for ethical approval.

· Please confirm that:

· Your supervisor will approve any materials that you provide to human participants before use (e.g., consent forms, questionnaires, interview questions).

· The supervisor will be sent a copy of this form to approve before further processing.

Things to include with your application (attach only the ones that apply to your research)

· Consent Form

· Debrief Form

· Proof of any external permissions (if needed)

· Recruitment advertisements (if needed)

· Risk Assessment (as necessary)

Student Signature & Name: Date:

Supervisor Signature & Name: Date:

Reviewer 1 Signature & Name: Date:

Reviewer 2 Signature & Name: Date: