Postgraduate Research Ethics
All students undertaking research at a postgraduate level should have two supervisors who will advise them on how best to approach researching and writing up their thesis. As with all other research carried out by members of the University of Glasgow, this research must be ethically acceptable. Ethical issues will ordinarily only arise in legal research when it involves the use of human subjects, material or data. Any doubts should initially be adressed to your supervisor. The following statement is applicable to all postgraduate research. It may be downloaded from the link below.
Ethics in Postgraduate Research in the School of Law
The University of Glasgow has decreed that, with effect from 1st October 2002, all non-clinical research involving human participants, material or data should be subject to formal ethical review. Non-clinical research is defined in the University's ethics policy as:
research which is generally not concerned with medical treatment of patients but which applies systematic procedures of investigation to human beings, whatever the nature of the research; whether, for example, it be physical, social or psychological.
To that end each Faculty has established a Faculty Ethics Committee whose purpose is to review non-clinical research involving human participants, material and data. (Clinical research continues to require ethical approval by National Health Service ethics committees.) This requirement extends to all research carried out within, or on behalf of, Glasgow University regardless of any funding source, and includes undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. Students are therefore advised that any research they do, whether carried out for dissertation or coursework purposes, which involves human participants, material or data will require ethical approval. Any student who think this applies to their research, should in the first instance discuss this with their supervisor. If, after discussion, you think your research requires ethical approval you must get that approval in advance by completing the form available on the University website (see below). This should be submitted to the School of Law Ethics Committee by handing it in to Susan Holmes in the Postgraduate Office.
Failure to gain the requisite approval will result in that part of the student's work being discounted for the purposes of assessment. Since the penalty is high, students are strongly advised to make sure they have taken the necessary steps in having their research approved.
There will be a session in the Postgraduate Research Methods Course devoted to ethics in research which will offer the students guidance on this matter.
Before you Begin
Before discussion with your supervisors you should consult these pages, where you will find full information on these matters:
To download the application form directly: