How to receive Ethics Approval

All students conducting research with human subjects must receive approval from the School's Ethics Committee before undertaking the fieldwork component of their research. Research with human subjects includes (but is not necessarily limited to) face-to-face or online interviews, surveys, and participant observation.

Students should discuss their research plan and ethics strategy with their supervisors before submitting a proposal to the Ethics Committee. They also should consult:

1. The Trinity College Dublin Good Research Practice Document (PDF)
2. The Ethics Policy of TCD's School of Social Sciences and Philosophy (PDF)
3. Ethical Guidelines of the Sociological Association of Ireland (PDF)
   

Students should then submit their research ethics proposal, via email, to the chair of the Ethics Committee, Dr Iain Atack (atacki@tcd.ie). The proposal should not exceed 2000 words and should include:

• Title and short description
• Main research questions
• Methodology and Approach
• Description of compliance with good research practice (including specific strategies for securing informed consent, protecting anonymity and confidentiality, publication strategy, and any special considerations such as working with children or vulnerable adults or researching in a violent or divided context)
• Interview or survey questions (if applicable)
• Consent forms (if applicable)

The Ethics Committee will endeavour to return a decision to the student within two weeks. Students should submit their proposals in a timely manner to leave plenty of time for their fieldwork. Once approval has been granted, ethical compliance will be monitored by students and their supervisors. If ethical compliance is deemed to have been breached, this matter must be referred to the Ethics Committee.