This article will inform you of which ethics documents you will need to to include in your thesis.
The following must be included in all theses, where relevant:
- The letter from the Ethics Committee confirming the favourable opinion
- The Form UPR16 declaring the ethical conduct of the research
These documents should be included in an appendix/annex of the main thesis.
Inclusion of any or all of the following is voluntary:
- Any template letters used for the purposes of recruitment – they should not include any personal data, i.e. names and addresses of potential participants
- Any letters sent to host organisations seeking permission to conduct the research; these would normally include details of the addressee in the case of public organisations but discretion should be exercised in cases of smaller private organisations and, a fortiori, individual gatekeepers
- Any letters from host organisations – following similar caveats to those identified in the above bullet regarding letters sent to host organisations
- Participant information sheets
- Consent form templates, i.e. not including any personal data of participants
- Data collection instruments approved for use in the course of ethical review; these might include survey instruments, interview schedules, topic lists etc
- Any wider communication from the Ethics Committee, for example regarding substantial amendments, seeking further advice etc.
For further information please see the Research Degrees Handbook here