Ethical Issues and Guidelines for Research Participants

Addressing Ethical Issues Raised by Research Projects

Ethical issues raised by the project and how these will be addressed:

Points that should be considered include:

• Participants and consent
• Confidentiality and anonymity
• Right to withdrawal
• Deception
• Permissions from organisations involved
• Whether any vulnerable populations are involved (including under 18s) (also see Section 6)

This section should have some comment and not left blank.

Please refer to the Ethics Guidelines for more information.   

This investigation must ensure compliance with ethical standards. While this is dependent on secondary data collected from the C0mpustat and GMI ranking databases, respondents may also collect primary data for some reason. You can also remove them at any time and the vacancy will remain reserved after the survey date. The researcher will also remember to refer to previous research for any components that have been used in previous empirical work (Patten and Newhart, 2017). To ensure access and ethics are complied, the following will be implemented:

• Comply with and understand data protection and human rights laws
• Obtain a statement of consent from the person
• Understand the implications of my work to support high-quality research.
• Confirmation of consent
• Be honest with yourself and the person, and don't change or distort the word to satisfy the second reason or reaction.

Please note that this form is only required if the organisation itself is taking part in the research – e.g. they are allowing observation of their operations, they are acting as a case study. It is NOT required if all you are doing is recruiting via them (in which case their permission is required but not a formal consent form).  

Brief description of research project:

This should include:

What participation involves for the organisation itself and its staff

Where it will take place

How long it will take

How many participants there are likely to be (if appropriate)

How long any personal data will be kept for

That personal data will be kept indefinitely in an anonymised form

It should state that research findings will NOT be disseminated

It should state that no data will be shared with third parties

Research Participants - How the University of Roehampton uses your personal dat

Why have I been directed here or been given this form?

This statement explains how the University of Roehampton handles and uses personal data collected from research participants. This includes data collected directly from research participants or where the data has been received from a third party.

Who will process my personal data?

This statement applies to all research conducted by the University of Roehampton and its members.

What is the purpose of the personal data processing?

You will have been informed about the specific types of personal data that will be used in connection with the research project you are participating in, and the nature and purpose of the research project. You will have been informed of any data sharing with participating research institutions, transfers outside of the European Union, and any automated decision making that affects you.

Considerations for Ethical Compliance

In some cases, your data may have been shared with the University by another organisation for the purposes of conducting research. The University may also re-use personal data it already holds for the purposes of conducting new research. The University will only use personal data in this way where it is legally entitled to do so. In all cases, the University will normally contact you to give you details of the research unless this would be impossible or involve disproportionate effort, or would significantly undermine the research objectives.

The University may in exceptional circumstances release personal data to appropriate authorities without seeking the permission of or notifying the data subject, but will only do so in compliance with its legal obligations.

What is the legal basis of the processing?

In the majority of cases, your personal data (including, where appropriate, sensitive personal data) is used to carry out research, including scientific, historical and statistical research, in the public interest. Where the research is commercial in nature or funded by a private company, the legal basis for processing is likely to be legitimate interests. If the personal data being used for research purposes falls into one of the special categories of personal data, including criminal convictions data, the lawful basis will usually be that the processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes.

What are my rights as a data subject?

The General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 provide exemptions for personal data processing in relation to research activities.

You have the right to opt-out of any further processing. If you do opt-out, your personal data may not be erased but will only be used in an anonymised form as part of the dataset. (Please note that this is separate to withdrawing your participation from the research project itself).

In accordance with accepted ethical standards, you will not be named in any published materials unless you have given your explicit permission for this to happen.

The University considers that other statutory rights held by personal data subjects do not apply where the personal data is being processed for the purposes of research. If you would like to request a copy of the personal data then you can contact the lead researcher. Where practicable, they will provide you with a copy of this data. However, they are under no obligation to do so.

How long is my information kept for?

Your data will be kept in accordance with the University of Roehampton’s Record Retention Schedule. Research data may be retained indefinitely in an anonymised form by researchers. The University may also reuse your personal data for a different research project. If it does, the University will make reasonable attempts to inform you about this reuse and its impact on your rights as a data subject.

Occasionally a researcher will leave the University and begin working for another organisation. In this case, your personal data may be transferred to the new organisation so that the research project can continue. If this happens, you should be provided with updated privacy information by the new organisation.

The University is committed to protecting all personal data for which it acts as a controller. Your information will be safely held on a secure system.

Who can I contact?

The University has a Data Protection Policy which sets out how personal data will be used across the whole University. Further information about data protection can also be found on the University’s website. https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/corporate-information/policies/.

If you would like to receive hard copies of any policies relating to Data Protection please contact the University Data Protection Officer.

If you would like to make a general query about how your data is being used as part of a research project, you should contact the researcher whose details you will already have been provided with.

If you would like to make any further enquiries or raise any concerns with respect to your personal data, or your rights as a data subject, you can contact the University’s Data Protection Officer, Alison Bainbridge, at [email protected].

How do I complain?

If you have any concerns about the University’s handling of your personal data, you have the right to make a complaint about to the Information Commissioner’s Office and can do so at .