For University information on research ethics see: Research Ethics | Research Integrity (cam.ac.uk)
The University of Cambridge is fully committed to the advancement of high-quality academic research and to ensuring that all research activities undertaken by University employees, or on University premises, involving human participation or personal data are undertaken in a way that safeguards the dignity, rights, health, safety, and privacy of those involved. This commitment is set out in the University’s Policy on the Ethics of Research Involving Human Participants and Personal Data and extends to participants, researchers, students and third parties.
Faculty of Architecture and History of Art Research Ethics Committee
The objectives of the Committee are:
- to maintain ethical standards of practice in research;
- to ensure that researchers are trained in, and aware of, ethical issues in research;
- to protect participants in research and researchers from harm;
- to preserve the participants’ rights;
- to take account of legitimate interests of other individuals, bodies and communities associated with the research; and
- to provide reassurance to the public and to outside bodies that these are being done.
The Committee will assess all applications for approval for research which involves either human participation and/or personal data.
What type of Research Requires Ethics Review and Approval?
Much of the research conducted in the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art (critical, analytic, technical, design-based or historical) is unlikely to raise any ethical issues. However, experimental research, and fieldwork, if conducted within anthropological or sociological frameworks for instance, will require ethics review and approval. The Faculty has guidelines for the conduct of such research, and procedures (see Ethics Process Flowchart) and the Faculty Research Ethics Committee will consider all proposed research which will involve:
- i - fieldwork or experiments involving human participants; or
- ii - use of personal data.
- iii - work with children or vulnerable individuals;
- iv - work with NHS patients, staff or facilities.
Students should read the Research Ethics and Integrity section of their course Handbook which explains the different aspects of conducting research involving human participation – such as informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, using social media and avoiding harm.
Application Process
There are two forms:
- Undergraduate and MArch programme. Ethics approval depends on supervisor approval at this, and it does not usually escalate to the ethics committee.
Click here for Undergraduate/ MArch form
- Other Postgraduates and Staff. Ethics approval will be considered by the ethics committee.
Click here Other Postgraduates/ Staff researchers form
Students should include upload the following documents with their online form:
- a - Participant Information Sheet [See here for advice]
- b - Consent Form [See here for advice and here for a template form]
- c - Project Outline & Proposed Research Methods [See here for advice]. Applicants may wish to use this draft form to plan their answers in discussion with their supervisors ahead of submitting a formal application online.
Research ethics applications may be submitted at any time. They will be considered on two dates during Term time. Applications should therefore be submitted, at the latest, a minimum of 2 days in advance of each date. The proposed dates for ethics approval for the year 2024-2025 are as follows:
Michaelmas
- a - 18 November 2024
- b - 16 December 2024
Lent
- c - 17 February 2025
- d - 17 March 2025
Easter
- e - 2 June 2025
- f - 16 June 2025
Any application which misses an ethics consideration date will be considered on the following date in that term, or the first date in the next.
If you have a question for the Research Ethics team, please contact ethicschair@aha.cam.ac.uk. Research ethics questions and business will be conducted through this email address, not via an individual’s email account.
Undergraduate or M.Arch. Research Proposals
Undergraduates or M.Arch. students who intend to undertake work for formal assessment that involves research under any of the categories (i) to (iv) above, must complete the online Ethics Review Form and upload with it the three listed documents (a., b., c.) [Click here for Undergraduate/MArch form].
The completed form and documents are automatically forwarded to the student’s supervisor for review and approval. If the supervisor has any concerns the student will be asked to revise their application and/or documents and re-submit. If the contents of the form and the documents are acceptable, the approval will be granted and the student will be notified by email, which will contain any comments which have been added in the process.
These applications will typically take 4-6 weeks to be processed.
Students are encouraged to read the Research Integrity and Ethics section of the Handbook available on the Moodle link.
Other Postgraduates/Postdoc/Staff Research Proposals
Other Postgraduate students, post-doctoral researchers and staff who intend to undertake research which falls into categories (i) to (iv) above, must complete the relevant Ethical Review Form [Click here for Postgraduate/Staff form].
Postgraduates should complete the form in consultation with their supervisor, and their form will be automatically forwarded either to their supervisor (students) or Principal Investigator (PI) for approval once it is submitted. Once approval is given, the application will proceed to the Research Ethics Committee for final approval. The student will be notified of the outcome via email.
Referrals
Where research proposals involve children or other vulnerable individuals, or pose ethical issues that appear beyond the expertise of the Research Ethics Committee, they will be remitted to an appropriate Schools-level Ethics Committee (either the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee or the Social Science Research Ethics Committee).
Guidelines for Ethical Review of coursework (i.e. not submitted dissertations or research papers) for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Supervisors
The value of ethical review is to ensure that researchers have rigorously considered the potential consequences of their research for themselves and others, particularly those who participate in, or are the subjects of, the research. Completion of an Ethics Review form should help guarantee this, as the nature and the practicalities of the research to be undertaken has to be clear in a student's mind for the form to be filled in satisfactorily.
All students undertaking practical coursework involving human participants (whether experimental, questionnaire, interview-based, or ethnographic) should fill in a form when they have settled on a topic or project in sufficient detail. In the first instance these are reviewed by the supervisor, who can require students to revise their forms, and who approves those that have no—or trivial—ethical implications. It is expected that the majority of forms for any given course are likely to be fall into this category.
Those deemed by the supervisor to require more comprehensive scrutiny should be forwarded to the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee for approval; revision may be required before approval is granted. It is expected that very few—if any—applications for ethical review will be rejected; the value of the process lies in making explicit to the students what is required of a successful piece of research involving human participants or data, and in providing a process of review that can draw on broad expertise in providing feedback to the students in order that they can amend their research plans appropriately.
Each supervisor should provide a copy of all submitted and approved Ethical Review forms to Secretary of the Faculty Board; the University requires that we compile an annual report on the workings of the ethical review process in the Faculty.
Supervisors should familiarise themselves with the Faculty's guidelines for the conduct of experimental and social research. Links to more detailed, discipline-specific guidelines are provided on the on the University Research Ethics Webpage Research Ethics | Research Integrity
Course leaders should familiarise themselves with the Faculty's guidelines for the conduct of experimental and social research. Links to more detailed, discipline-specific guidelines are provided on the Faculty's ethics website and on the University Research Ethics Webpage.
Addendum on Data Protection, GDPR, and Safety
To ensure compliance with institutional data protection and GDPR standards, the following measures should be observed:
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Survey Tools: It is recommended to use institutionally approved tools and software for conducting surveys. Data collected should be stored according to institutional standards with appropriate encryption and data protection policies. Please consult with the project supervisor or advisor for additional details. Mention this explicitly in the methodology sheet.
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Survey Form: The Research Ethics Committee requires the survey form and questionnaire to be attached to the application for assessment. Ensure the questionnaire is included in the documentation if that method of data collection is being used. This ensures a complete review. Avoid recording any identifiable information to maintain participant anonymity.
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Data Security: Confirm that the chosen data storage system complies with institutional data security standards, including encryption and protection against unauthorized access. Clearly outline this in the methodology sheet, information sheet, and consent form.
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Encryption: Implement robust data protection strategies, such as strong encryption (e.g., password-protected files or datasets) and secure password-sharing methods within the research team. This should also be detailed in the methodology sheet, information sheet, and consent form.
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Access and Retention: Clearly define access restrictions, data retention duration (e.g., how long data will be stored), and deletion protocols. These should align with institutional requirements and be included in the methodology sheet, information sheet, and consent form.
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Two-Step Authentication: If non-institutional tools are planned to be used, ensure that two-step authentication is implemented to enhance security.
These guidelines should be rigorously followed to uphold high ethical standards and ensure compliance with institutional policies. Supervisors and project principal investigators must adhere to ethical and GDPR privacy policies. If there are any queries, they should consult institutional members of the Research Ethics Committee for clarification.