Research Ethics and Getting Ethical Approval

Any research involving people — or animals, or sensitive data — carries ethical duties. Meeting them is not just paperwork: it protects participants and makes your findings trustworthy. In most institutions, approval is required before you collect any data.

1. Informed consent

Participants must understand the study, its purpose, what taking part involves, any risks, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty — and then agree voluntarily. Extra care is needed with vulnerable groups (e.g. minors).

2. Do no harm (beneficence)

Minimise physical, psychological, and social risks, and weigh them against the study's benefits. If a risk cannot be justified, redesign the study.

3. Privacy and data protection

Protect participants through confidentiality and, where possible, anonymity. Store and handle data securely and lawfully (for example under GDPR where it applies), and only keep what you need.

4. Integrity

Report honestly: no fabrication, no falsification, and no plagiarism. Declare any conflicts of interest and funding sources.

5. Getting ethical approval

Submit a protocol to your Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Research Ethics Committee before starting — describing your design, consent process, risks, and data handling. Medical research also follows the Declaration of Helsinki. Do not begin data collection until approval is granted.

How ProSearch helps

ProSearch collects studies similar to yours and how they were run, so you can see how comparable research handled consent, risk, and data — a useful reference while you prepare your own ethics application.