Secondary Data Collection for Research Ethics

This document provides information on completing an ethics application for the data collection exercise of a research project. It includes sections on research ethics and integrity, risk assessment, and data management and storage. The document also includes a section on using secondary data in research.

Secondary Data collection Only
Research Ethics
You are required to complete an ethics application BEFORE you embark on
the data collection exercise of the research project
Please complete all the following sections:
- Section A: Ethics Form
- Section B: Data management and storage form

RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
RISK ASSESSMENT FORM
Section A: FORM A
For all Undergraduate/Postgraduate Dissertations and Research
Projects
Please fill in this form, then SAVE IT AS A PDF and submit as instructed by your supervisor with
your project proposal
Your name: (first) ……………………… (last) ………………………
Student number: …………… Your email address:

PROJECT DESCRIPTON
Please answer the following questions:
1. Do you intend to involve human participants in the conduct of your research? If no,
please skip questions 2 & 3.
Yes☐ ☐No
2. Does your research involve vulnerable adults or under-18s?
Yes☐ ☐No
3. Could your research potentially expose you, anyone assisting you, or participants to
emotional harm?
Yes☐ ☐No
4. Will your research involve travelling to geo-politically unstable regions/countries (e.g.
areas affected by war, civil unrest, natural disasters, or listed as unadvisable to travel by
the UK government?
Yes☐ ☐No
5. Will your research involve access to security-sensitive material? If yes, you must include
a data management statement.
Yes☐ ☐No
This proposal must be completed with the assistance of your supervisor. You can change
the size of the boxes (below) by typing or deleting as necessary.
It is very important to convey with clarity:
• Your research questions/the problem/the theme or topic you are investigating (what
you are proposing to do and to find out or to create)
• The methodology or technical approach (for projects comprising in whole or in part
the creation of an artefact) you will adopt – methods, number of participants, who the
participants (if any) will be, survey instruments used technology and equipment
employed etc.; and what questions you are planning to ask your respondents (if
applicable); how you will deal with technical challenges.
3 | P a g e

Title of project ____________________________________________________________________________
Name of researcher(s) _____________________________________Email
Name of supervisor _____________________________Date:________________________
WHERE APPROPRIATE TO YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC/RESEARCH: YES NO N/A
1 Will you describe in writing the main procedures to participants in advance, so that they
are informed about what to expect? A copy of this must be attached to this application
2 Will you tell participants that their participation is voluntary?
3 Will you obtain written consent for participation and include within this that they have a
right to withdraw at any point? A copy of this must be attached to this application
4 If the research is observational, will you ask participants for their consent to being
observed?
5 With questionnaires, will you give participants the option of omitting questions they do
not want to answer?
6 Will you tell participants that their data will be treated with full confidentiality and that,
if published, it will not be identifiable as theirs? This should be evidenced in the consent
form and with a signed copy of data management form, attached to this application.
7 Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give them a brief
explanation of the study)? A copy of this must be attached to this application
If you have ticked No to any of Q1-7, but have ticked box A overleaf, please give an explanation on a separate
sheet.
[Note: N/A = not applicable]
YES NO N/A
8 Will your project involve deliberately misleading participants in any way?
9 Is there any realistic risk of any participants experiencing either physical or
psychological distress or discomfort? If Yes, give details on a separate sheet and state
what you will tell them to do if they should experience any problems (e.g. who they
can contact for help).

If you have ticked Yes to 8 or 9, you should normally tick box B overleaf; if not, please give a full explanation
on a separate sheet
YES NO N/A
10 Does your project involve work with animals? If yes, please tick box B overleaf.
11 Do participants fall into any of the
following vulnerable groups? If they do,
please and tick box B overleaf.
Note that you may also need to obtain
satisfactory DBS clearance (or
equivalent for overseas students).
Schoolchildren (under 18 years of age)
People with learning or communication
difficulties
Patients
People in custody
People engaged in illegal activities (e.g.
drug-taking)
Any other groups who could be
reasonably argued as representing any
form of vulnerability – please specify
12 Will you be accessing materials which may be considered security-sensitive under the
Counter Terrorism Act (2015)?
There is an obligation on the researcher to bring to the attention of the School Ethics Panel any issues with
ethical implications not clearly covered by the above checklist.
PLEASE TICK EITHER BOX A OR BOX B BELOW AND PROVIDE THE DETAILS REQUIRED IN
SUPPORT OF YOUR APPLICATION. THEN SIGN THE FORM.
Please tick
A. I consider that this project has no significant ethical implications to be brought before the School
Ethics Panel.
B. I consider that this project may have ethical implications that should be brought before the School
Ethics Panel, and/or it will be carried out with children or other vulnerable populations.
I have received guidance on ethical research practices relevant to my subject as part of my preparation for this
module.
Signed ___________________________ Print Name ______________________ Date
_______________
(UG Researcher(s))
5 | P a g e

Signed ___________________________ Print Name ______________________ Date
_______________
(Supervisor)

PART 2
SPECIFICATIONS OF PROJECT
Please answer the following question:
1. Do you intend to use only secondary data in the conduct of your research?
Yes☐ ☐No
Introduction to the research
Background to research topic area (with references where applicable). 200 words approx. Include
Aims and Hypothesis, Research Question(s) of the dissertation/project.
Aim: To evaluate the practices of human resource management and its impact on the
engagement and retention of employees in context of Arcadia group Ltd.
Method
Outline all methodological issues - e.g. Design, participants, questionnaires, tests, method of data
collection. Who are you working with? How? What Measures? What
interventions/manipulations? What controls? If your research entails exclusively the consultation
of published documents, books, articles or other work in the public domain please state this under
the heading ‘materials’.
Recent publications were taken which are written only in English language. The
researchers who are well known and have the copyright on their publications are only
included.
Research design
Descriptive research design
Participants (where applicable)
Materials (to include locations and resources)
Secondary resources like books and journals, articles, research papers which are already
published by well-known authors.
7 | P a g e

Analysis
CLEARLY describe the method of analysis you are going to use. Is it qualitative or quantitative?
This research is wholly concerned with human resource whose nature and outcomes can only be
identified through theoretical study. This will use the qualitative method of analysis. Also, this mode
enables the research to provide a better understanding about the concept along with generating detailed
knowledge regarding the behaviour of human resource so qualitative mode is considered as suitable for
performing this research.

Section B: RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
DATA MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE STATEMENT
All applicants should familiarise themselves with the Data Protection Act 1998, and adhere to
its principles in all aspects of their research:
Research data covers a broad range of types of information (see examples below), and digital
data can be structured and stored in a variety of file formats.
EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH DATA
Some examples of research data:
Documents (text, Word), spreadsheets
Laboratory notebooks, field notebooks, diaries
Questionnaires, transcripts, codebooks
Audiotapes, videotapes
Photographs, films
Test responses
Slides, artefacts, specimens, samples
Collection of digital objects acquired and generated during the process of research
Database contents (video, audio, text, images)
Models, algorithms, scripts
Contents of an application (input, output, logfiles for analysis software, simulation software,
schemas)
Methodologies and workflows
Standard operating procedures and protocols
As a student or member of staff undertaking a research project, I understand that I am
responsible for the following:
9 | P a g e

 The security and confidentiality of all data collected
 Mitigating all risks to anonymity, privacy and confidentiality posed by all kinds of
personal information storage, processing, including computer and paper files, e-mail
records, audio and video files, and any information that directly identifies an
individual. It is recommended that data be anonymised at the point of collection.
I will ensure that:
 Data and codes and all identifying information will be kept in separate locked filing
cabinets/files and working files will contain no identifying information, and will only
be accessed by one or two persons
 All audiotapes will be transcribed using codes or pseudonyms for identification of
individuals and destroyed upon completion of the research project
 Access to computer files will be available by password only
 Research data will be stored for up to 5 years after the end of the project, after which
they should be disposed of safely.
Name:
Application ID:
Project title: