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The Ethics Process

Published 22nd January 2024 by Gillian 

Gather all the information you can!

A fundamental part of any research project is the ethics that underpin it. For the research project funded by the AHRC-RLUK fellowship ethical approval was essential. In order to get the project up and running as soon as my fellowship started in January, I had to get ethical approval by December.

Applying for ethical approval is something I have done for a few different projects over the years. However, it feels a lot more serious when you know without it you’re stuck. When it’s a project you’re doing alongside the day job, you can work on it as you go and if you don’t meet the deadline, you know there’s still time and you can plug away at it. The same is not true when there is funding riding on it and there are external deadlines you have to meet. That’s why one of my biggest bits of advice is to do your research and READ! Getting to know the language of the ethical process, understanding the paperwork you need to complete, and the expectations of the organisation are essential.

In my case I had to make sure I was meeting the ethical requirements of my funders and my institution. I also wanted to make sure I was adhering to the ethical principles of my professional organisation – CILIP. I wanted to do it properly first time. So, it was time to do what they told me to do when revising for exams – read the whole paper through before you start. For the Library and Learning Services ethical committee at UON, they have a digital copy of the online ethical application form. This meant I can read through it fully before I start filling it in online. There were also useful statements and guidance in the form to make sure I included the information they needed to assess the application. Any time they referred to any specific institutional policies or paperwork, I looked them up.

Therefore, it was key that I read them thoroughly and understood them. What was my deadline – when did I have to submit the paperwork? Generally, how long did it take to get ethical approval? (I needed to start in January, I had to allow for any amendments or updates, so I had to submit my form for the 1st November deadline). As I read the policies and procedures, I began making notes – what language were they using, what procedures did I need to take into account. There’s no point reading something and then forgetting what you’ve read. Ever the librarian, I typed up my notes, so I know exactly what I read and where it came from!

I used the draft ethics form to begin writing my responses. Some questions were easy to answer, but for others I’d draft an outline and need time to think about what I needed to include. Then there are all the additional bits you need to include – it’s not just the form, you have to include all the elements that you’re going to use in your project:

  • Participant information sheets and consent forms
  • Publication information (publicity / marketing / recruitment information)
  • Prompts for any focus groups / interviews (what are you asking your participants to do?)
  • Data management plan
  • Risk assessment form

In participatory photography you use focus groups to agree the main themes and photographs you’re going to use. So, I had to think about this too.

Therefore, I had to draft these as I went along. I had been thinking there would be time in January to get this done, but I’m glad I got these planned for the ethics process. A great way of getting ahead.

For anything that your participants are going to read and need to sign – keep it simple. Plain English is key, make sure there is no confusion about what the project is about and what you’re asking them to do.

Publicity information is similar, you want your potential participants to want to get involved and to understand the project quickly. I don’t want them to have to look up what I’m talking about, I want them to read it and know what I’m asking them to do.

Creating prompts, questions and ideas for the focus groups and interviews was interesting. I was thinking I would have time to think these through alongside reading more about participatory photography. However, time was of the essence here, so I had to keep focused. What did I really want to find out? How could I use the prompts to do that? Time focused meant less procrastination and more action. Sometimes deadlines are your friend!

I am grateful that I’ve engaged with regular continuing professional development (CPD) through my career. One session I attended related to data management, ostensibly this was to support colleagues doing research, but it paid dividends when drafting my own data management plan. Here it was important to read the questions carefully and focus on exactly what they were asking:

  • What data are you collecting?
  • How are you storing it?
  • Why and how long for?

On the first few read throughs the form seemed repetitive, but when you read it again you could see the questions were different and it was important to look at the specifics. Put yourself in the mindset of the reviewer – keep it simple and answer the question. Clarity wins out!

The Risk Assessment Form was a challenging one. In my day-to-day work, this is integral to the workload of my colleagues and not something I would see. However, taking the time to think through the questions and consider the risks was important in helping to plan to mitigate them. Talking to colleagues was really useful as they could help me understand the questions and consider the risks involved in my project.

The ethics application can seem like quite a long and drawn-out process. This can be really frustrating when you think you’re doing an ‘easy’ project that doesn’t risk harm to others. It’s not like you’re doing experiments or tests on people… However, we are all individuals, and you never really know what’s happening behind the façade. Taking the time to think through all the implications of the project and identify any potential risks means you can avoid them. Taking the time to do the ethics application properly will mean it is easier for people to get involved with your project and you can feel confident that you are prepared for the project to start!

Lessons learnt:

  • Take time to read through everything.
  • Write down all the parts that contribute to the ethics application. Work through them step-by-step.
  • Ask questions about things you don’t understand. Make sure you understand before you try filling in the forms!
  • Check and re-check to make sure you’re answering the questions they’ve asked (not the ones you think they’re asking)!

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