Procedure for Application and Scrutiny

All academic staff undertaking research involving human participants or other species beings or with data and materials derived from such participants or that might unduly affect the environment of such beings should:

• submit a copy of the Goldsmiths Ethical Approval Form to their Departmental Research Ethics Committee or to a departmental committee with that delegated function (i.e. Departmental Research Committee);
• that Departmental committee will make a provisional decision regarding the ethical risk factors involved in the proposed research and the Ethical Approval Form will be signed by the Chair of that Committee or by the Head of Department;
• Ethical Approval Forms will then be forwarded to the Secretary to the College Research Ethics Committee;
• the College Research Ethics Committee will scrutinise all forms at its next meeting and will report its decision to the applicant;
• it is the duty of the Head of Department to oversee ongoing academic research and to report any matters that require further deliberation and judgement to the College Research Ethics Committee.

Applications that do not gain ethical approval will be returned to the applicants with advice regarding appropriate changes.

Exceptionally, applications that require a decision sooner than the next meeting of the Research Ethics Committee will be considered through Chair’s Action and with reference to a virtual meeting of the Research Ethics Committee.

Any questions regarding further information about this process should be addressed in the first instance to the Secretary to the Research Ethics Committee Justin Davin-Smith, (j.davin-smith). Equally, those concerned about the due process of the Research Ethics Committee or those concerned about any ethical impropriety regarding research conducted by members of Goldsmiths or on the grounds of the College should contact the Secretary to the Research Ethics Committee, Justin Davin-Smith, (j.davin-smith).

Indication of Minimal Ethical Risk Factors
Ethical scrutiny is proportionate to the risk factors involved in the research process. The following can be taken, ordinarily, as indices of minimal risk factors:

• research with secondary data (providing that such data sets are anonymised);
• research that doesn’t involve vulnerable persons or groups (e.g. children and young people, the mentally ill, persons with cognitive impairment, etc);
• research that doesn’t involve sensitive subjects (such as sex, drug use, violence, or ‘race’);
• research that doesn’t involve permission of a gatekeeper for access to persons or groups of persons;
• research that doesn’t involve deception or that is not covert;
• research that doesn’t involve access to personal or confidential records;
• research that doesn’t bring about psychological or physical harm, duress or anxiety;
• and research that is not intrusive in any physical or psychological manner.