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Research Ethics Guidelines

All members of the department - both staff and students - are expected to observe the Code of Conduct and Ethics laid down by the British Psychological Society. They should ensure that everyone for whom they are responsible in the department, and to whom the code and principles apply, observes them.

All ethics applications must be submitted through the appropriate online ethics form. There is a student projects online form (BSc, MSc, PhDs, interns etc). There is a separate staff projects online form (post-doctorates, staff). After generating the link please submit this with the Faculty of Science ethics form (which comprises a signature page, information sheet, consent form, and debrief sheet) via email to the psychology ethics team.

Please read the following forms, as necessary:

Risk Assessment

All ethics applications now need to include a risk assessment, which is part of our online ethics form. Any questions regarding risk assessments, please visit the Sevron website for more information and/or contact the Health and Safety Officer Rob Woods.

Getting ethical approval for your projects

  • Classification of proposed research as routine or non-routine

    • Ethics applications need to be marked as routine or non-routine, as described below: Please note: it's therefore the researcher's responsibility (or the supervisor if the researcher is a student) to decide whether the proposed study can be considered routine or non-routine. Where there is any doubt about whether a proposal is routine then it should be categorised as non-routine.
      • Routine: If the researcher or supervisor decides that the proposed study is so close to a previous study that has been reviewed within the last three years or renewed (for a maximum of two additional years) by the Departmental Ethics Committee, then you may proceed with your routine research once you have completed and submitted a routine application. When submitting a routine application, the approval number from the original (non-routine) application must be included on your application form. You must also provide copies of all original documentation with your routine ethics application form, including all appendices (and final versions of forms if amendments were required). If you cannot provide the original documentation or ethical approval has expired and cannot be renewed, you will be need to complete a new non-routine form.
      • Non-routine: If the proposed study raises ethical issues for which the researcher/supervisor has not had previous approval, then the application is non-routine and must be considered by the ethics committee. The study cannot proceed until the researcher has received a numbered ethical approval certificate.

  • How to submit your ethics application

    • Once you have completed your answers and submitted your response using the appropriate online ethics form (student projects online form or staff projects online form) , you should download your answers as a PDF and email this PDF, alongside the Faculty of Science Ethics Form (which includes a signature page, the information sheet, the consent form, and the debrief sheet) and any other information required for your ethics approval to the psychology ethics team. It will be assessed by the committee and you will receive a certificate over email as per usual. The online system includes risk assessments and data management, so you no longer need to fill out those extra documents.
    • If your study uses the MRI scanner, you should fill out the information sheet template for MRI studies. You should also attach to this information sheet the MRI pre-screening form. You can download the MRI pre-screening form from the Birkbeck-UCL Centre for Neuroimaging website.
    • If your research uses EEG, you should fill out the information sheet template for EEG studies.

  • Submission dates for applications

  • How to apply for renewal of ethics approval

    • Ethical approval is given to non-routine projects for a period of three years. To obtain an extension for a further two years, please complete the application form below, confirming that no details of your research have changed. Renewal applications need to be submitted via email to the pyschology ethics team along with a copy of all original documentation related to the associated non-routine application i.e. application forms, appendices, etc. If you are unable to provide original documentation or the committee confirms that ethical approval cannot be renewed, you may be required to complete a new non-routine renewal application form for your study.

  • NHS approvals

    • If your application concerns clinical or patient groups or is similar to other studies that require National Research Ethics Service Approval (NRES), you must explain in your application why NRES permission is not required. You must also submit the NRES self-assessment check verifying this with your application.

  • Undergraduates and clinical projects

    • In the past, occasionally, undergraduates have done clinical projects. This is now not possible. By clinical, we mean projects which would require getting NHS ethics approval (now referred to as COREC) for research on patients or NHS staff. Procedures for gaining COREC approval have become much more onerous, time-consuming and complex in recent years and the effort required for such approval means it is not appropriate for undergraduate projects. The only exception to this will be if an undergraduate, through their existing employed work, is already doing research on a project which has received COREC approval for the work that individual is doing i.e. no new COREC application would be required.

  • Research involving minors (under 16 years)

    • Research using CBCD Babylab facilities: contact the Babylab for sample text to complete the ethics form and for the standard Babylab consent form. Sometimes students carry out research for their projects' dissertations as part of an ongoing study of their supervisors and for which their supervisors have ethics approval for. In these cases, students still need to apply for ethical approval and their application is always non-routine.
    • DBS/CRB checks: Anyone carrying out research with minors must undergo a DBS/CRB check. Please note that this can take up to three months to process so you should plan accordingly. The research cannot begin until the individual has been approved. Please read the section on DBS/CRB checks below. Please note that research involving minors is always classified as non-routine.

  • DBS/CRB checks

    • Student DBS checks (formally known as CRB): Students can apply for a DBS check through the College. Important: You must not begin your study until your DBS result has been seen and accepted, and your Ethics Approval Form has been approved. If you already have a DBS check that was not processed by Birkbeck, we will not accept it. Birkbeck does not participate in the DBS update service. You must therefore have another check processed through Birkbeck. Please read and follow these instructions:
      • Confirm with your supervisor that a DBS check is required.
      • Email Liam Simmonds directly and provide the following information: full name, student number, date of birth, nationality, course and email address. Put DBS check in the subject line and copy your supervisor and the psychology ethics team email as proof they have agreed to your check. If you do not copy in your supervisor, your email will not be processed.
      • Liam Simmonds will set up an application for you to complete remotely. After you've completed it, email Liam Simmonds to make an appointment to show the original supporting documents you selected to prove your identification when making the application. Please note that you must have a copy of the original documentation, as photocopies or printouts will not be accepted and if you do not have all the appropriate documentation, the check cannot be carried out.
      • The disclosure result will generally be issued to you by post within 7-10 days of the check being completed.
      • Birkbeck will not receive a copy of the certificate. You'll therefore need to scan and email a copy to Liam Simmonds. Alternatively, you may arrange to bring in the original certificate so a copy can be taken.
    • Staff DBS checks: Staff requiring a DBS check will be able to apply for one through the College. Please email Liam Simmonds for more information.

  • How to request an amendment to existing studies

    • Rarely, you may need to slightly modify an ongoing project (e.g. change the format of a questionnaire that is causing confusion). If this represents a new experiment or study this should be applied for using the routine or non-routine form. However, if this is an alteration to an ongoing experiment or study, you can submit a request for an amendment with in the following way:
      The Ethics Committee will let you know whether your amendment is approved, requires alteration, or is rejected. This communication must be received before you can implement your proposed modification.
      • You should detail your requested amendment (covering all aspects of the original form that are altered by your amendment, including data sharing/security) in a letter addressed to the Chair.
      • Attach new versions of consent forms/information sheets where relevant and any new materials.
      • You should also attach your original application form.
      • Any original materials that have been modified should have new version numbers and dates, so that participants can be tracked.
      • Your email should be entitled Modification to Study and include your reference number.

  • Useful links and references