Ethics Review Guidelines
Produced in association with the Department of Psychology
1. Role, Function and Responsibilities of the Department of Music Ethics Committee
2. Submission of Applications
3. Ethical Principles for Conducting Research with Human Participants
4. Criminal Records Bureau
1. Role, Function and Responsibilities of the Department of Music Ethics Committee
The Department adheres to the University of Sheffield Ethics Review Procedure and in the sub-discipline of Psychology of Music ensures that all research is consistent with the British Psychological Society´s (2004) Code of Conduct Ethical Principles and Guidelines (www.bps.org.uk).
The committee also seeks to enhance and maintain the awareness of the importance of ethics principles among staff and students. The structure and function of the committee is outlined below.
Membership
Three members of current full-time academic staff, with the Chair acting as administrator and ethics contact person. The Chair is currently Dr Dorothy Ker.
email : d.ker@sheffield.ac.uk
Functions
To coordinate and participate in the process of reviewing ethics applications (see Submission of Applications below).
To debate, review and be a forum for discussion of general issues relating to ethical concerns in research and teaching within the department of music.
To interpret the guidelines published by university and the british psychological society and other relevant groups, and to advise staff and students on ethical issues associated with research and teaching.
To inform staff about developments in the ethics of research and to ensure that undergraduate and postgraduate students understand and appreciate the importance of research ethics by providing relevant information in handbooks and lectures/seminars.
2. Submission of Applications
all research conducted by staff, postgraduates, or undergraduates in the department that involves human participants must be approved through the departmental ethics review process prior to the commencement of investigative work. Researchers should ensure that their proposal conforms to ethical guidelines (see ethical principles for conducting research with human participants below, and British Psychological Society website if you are a music psychology researcher). The relevant forms for submitting applications can be downloaded from the right-hand links on this page. Please note: the Department of Music no longer has its own application form.
For applications from undergraduate and postgraduate students, the principal reviewer will normally be the student´s supervisor or module leader/coordinator, and the application should be submitted to this person for initial review. The first reviewer will assess the application as ´high´ or `low´ risk. After reviewing the application and completing the ethics reviewer´s comments form, the principal reviewer should then pass the application and completed comments form to the chair of the departmental ethics committee, who will forward any applications assessed as being `high risk´ to a member of the committee for a second review.
Applications from members of staff should be submitted directly to the chair of the DEC, who will then appoint at least two ethics reviewers, including a member of the DEC, to review the application.
Staff/postgraduate ethics application forms can be submitted at any time during the academic year via email or staff pigeonhole.
Undergraduate ethics application forms must be submitted to the module leader/coordinator no later than the end of week 4 of the semester in which the module is taught. Note that certain modules may be covered by a "generic" ethics application made by the module tutor/coordinator, in which case students in the module need not make individual ethics applications. The module tutor/coordinator will inform students if this is the case.
A decision on the outcome of an ethics application will normally take no more than ten working days and will be communicated by the chair of the DEC to the proposer via email or letter to their pigeonhole. In a case where the ethics of the proposal are questioned, recommendations for proposal modification and re-application will be made. If you are in doubt about any issues relating to the ethics of your research, please consult the chair of the DEC.
3. Ethical Principles for Conducting Research with Human Participants
(Excerpted from BPS website - Code of Practice)
Participants in research should have confidence in the investigators. Good research is possible only if there is mutual respect and confidence between investigators and participants. Investigators are potentially interested in many aspects of human musical behaviour and conscious experience. However, for ethical reasons, some areas of experience and behaviour may be beyond the reach of investigation. Ethical guidelines are necessary to clarify the conditions under which research is acceptable.
In recent years, there has been an increase in legal actions by members of the general public against professionals for alleged misconduct. Researchers must recognise the possibility of legal action if they infringe the rights and dignity of participants in their research.
In all circumstances, investigators must consider the ethical implications and consequences for the participants of research. The essential principle is that the investigation should be considered from the standpoint of all participants; foreseeable threats to their wellbeing, health, values or dignity should be eliminated. Investigators should recognise that, in our multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society and where investigations involve individuals of different ages, gender and social background, the investigators may not have sufficient knowledge of the implications of investigation for the participants. It should be borne in mind that the best people to judge whether an investigation will cause offence may be members of the population from which participants in the research are to be drawn.
Whenever possible, the investigator should inform all participants of the objectives of the investigations. The investigator should inform the participants of all aspects of the research or intervention that might reasonably be expected to influence willingness to participate. The investigator should, normally, explain all aspects of the research or intervention about which the participants enquire. Failure to make full disclosure prior to obtaining consent requires additional safeguards to protect the welfare and dignity of the participants.
Research with children or with participants who have impairments that will limit understanding and/or communications such that they are unable to give their real consent requires special safeguarding procedures.
At the onset of the investigation investigators should make plain to the participants their right to withdraw from the research at any time, irrespective of whether or not payment or other inducement has been offered. It is recognised that this may be difficult in certain observational or organisational settings, but nevertheless the investigator must attempt to ensure that participants (including children) know of their right to withdraw. When testing children, avoidance of the testing situation may be taken as evidence of failure to consent to the procedure and should be acknowledged.
Subject to the requirements of legislation, including the data protection act, information obtained about a participant during an investigation is confidential unless otherwise agreed in advance. Investigators who are put under pressure to disclose confidential information should draw this point to the attention of those who are exerting such pressure. Participants have a right to expect that the information they provide will be treated confidentially and, if published, will not be identifiable as theirs. In the event that confidentiality and/or anonymity cannot be guaranteed, the participant must be warned of this in advance of agreeing to participate.
In the light of experience of the investigation, or as a result of debriefing, the participant has the right to withdraw retrospectively any consent given, and to require that their own data, including recordings, be destroyed.
4. Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
Students working with vulnerable populations such as children or elderly people are required to have their record checked by the criminal records bureau. The process, known as disclosure, is co-ordinated by the chair of the DEC, and can take some weeks to set up. You will receive specific instruction from your module leader where you need to be involved in this process.