Research Ethics Approval Form

This form is for students conducting research activity involving human participants or data collected from human participants. It requires basic details, project summary, participant information, data storage and security, and addresses ethical concerns.

13HNC/D in Business
2016
Research Ethics Approval Form
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of data collected
from human participants are required to gain ethical approval before commencing their research.
Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your respective Unit Tutor.
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully with your Unit
Tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research project is due to commence.
Section 1: Basic Details
Project title: ... “To determine the influence of Social media on business activities: A case study on
Softwire”. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Student name: ...................................................................................
Student ID number: ...................................................................................
Programme: ...................................................................................
School: ...................................................................................
Intended research start date: .............................................
Intended research end date: .............................................
Section 2: Project Summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as part of your project:
• Interviews:
• Questionnaires:
• Observations:
• Use of Personal Records:
• Data Analysis:
• Action Research:
• Focus Groups:
• Other (please specify): ....................................................................................................................................................................

13HNC/D in Business
2016
Section 3: Participants
Please answer the following questions, giving full details
where necessary. Will your research involve human
participants?
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply:
Ages 12-
16:
Young People aged
17–18:
Adult
s:
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be made
clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any time?
Studies involving questionnaires: Will participants be given the option of omitting
questions they do not wish to answer?
Ye
s:
No
:
If No please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising
from this
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for their
informed consent to be observed.
Ye
s:
No
:
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give them a brief
explanation of the study)?
Ye
s:
No
:
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study? (This could be a
brief summary of your findings in general)
Ye
s:
No
:

15HND in Business 2018
Section 4: Data Storage and Security
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act
(1998) Yes: No:
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
During the research:
Where will the data be stored?
Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be
used? Yes: No:
If yes, please provide further details:
After the research:
Where will the data be stored?
How long will the data and records be kept for and in what format?
Will data be kept for use by other researchers?
Yes: No:
If yes, please provide further details:
Section 5: Ethical Issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns? If so, please outline
how you will deal with these:
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise as a result of your
research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical concerns may include, but are not
limited to the following:
Informed consent.
Potentially vulnerable participants.
Sensitive topics.
Risks to participants and/or researchers.
Confidentiality/anonymity.
Disclosures/limits to confidentiality.
Data storage and security, both during and after the research
(including transfer, sharing, encryption, protection).
Reporting.
Dissemination and use of your findings.

15HND in Business 2018