School of Psychology

Health, safety and ethics

Ethical Review Procedures in the School of Psychology

Research projects involving human participants must receive ethical approval before research may commence (this includes discussions with potential participants).

All staff and students conducting such research should complete the online application form via Sussex Direct, and upload PDF versions of ALL supporting documents. Check the guidance for completing your application and find more information on the University's Ethics pages and the Ethics A-Z.

UG/PGT Students

Low-risk projects

All UG and PGT student applications for projects considered “low risk” must be submitted via the Sussex Direct online ethics review system. Applications will first be authorised by the Student’s Supervisor or Course Convenor, and then reviewed by one of the Psychology School Research Ethics Officers (SREO):

Important note for supervisors! So that we can allocate your students’ applications to your reviewer please ensure that you submit their application to the correct SREO (see the spreadsheet available). When you approve the application on Sussex Direct there’s an additional step where you select the SREO by name and then click on the “Submit to SREO for review” button.

If you have any questions, please email Lauren Shukru, Senior Research Ethics and Integrity Officer at crecscitec@sussex.ac.uk or one of the SREOs. The Research Governance website has information and resources to help you complete your application.  

Applications will be processed by the SREOs once each week. Applicants should expect to have a response within 2 weeks of receipt of their application and ALL supporting documents (revisions to the application may be requested before it can be approved.) Once a proposal has been approved applicants will receive an email confirming this. Students are required to adhere to the terms of approval as stated in the approval e-mail. They must submit this with their dissertation as evidence of ethics approval.

For UG projects, applications should be received by week 8 of the first teaching period in order to guarantee approval before the end of the autumn term. During the Christmas vacation the School office will identify Final Year UG students who have not completed an ethics application and notify their supervisor.

For PGT projects, applications should be received by week 8 of the second teaching period in order to guarantee approval before the end of the spring term. During the Easter vacation the School office will identify PGT students who have not completed an ethics application and notify their supervisor.

High-risk projects

UG / PGT Student projects that are considered Higher Risk, must be submitted via the Sussex Direct online ethics review system for review by the Sciences and Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee (SCI-TEC C-REC.)  Students must discuss their proposed research with their Supervisor, who will need to authorise the project before it is reviewed by the C-REC. 

PGR Students/Staff - all projects

ALL PGR student and faculty applications – whether “low risk” or “high risk” - must be submitted via the Sussex Direct online ethics review system for review by the Sciences and Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee (SCI-TEC C-REC), Chaired by Dr Bryan Singer.   

Please note: when a PGR student submits a completed ethics application, their Supervisor will automatically be alerted that they need to go into Sussex Direct to review the student's submission. Once the Supervisor has authorised the student's application, the C-REC will be alerted that the student's application has been authorised for review.

The Research Governance website has information on how to apply for ethics review along with details of the C-REC terms of reference and membership, and review process and timescales. 

Applicants should expect to have a response within 4 weeks of receipt of their application and ALL supporting documents (revisions to the application may be requested before it can be approved.) Once a proposal has been approved applicants will receive a Certificate of Approval. Applicants are required to adhere to the terms of approval as stated in the certificate. Applicants may be contacted to complete an audit questionnaire for applications submitted in the previous academic year.