University research ethics requirements

All studies that involve human participants, their tissue and/or data should undergo an ethical review before any data collection activities can take place. Whether or not that ethical review takes place at the University of Bristol or via an external review board depends on the nature of the research. For more information on what kind of ethical review your research study requires, please click here.

All University of Bristol research ethics applications should be submitted via the Online Research Ethics Management System (OREMS).

If your study does not involve human participants or their data/tissue, then it will not require an ethical review unless it raises some other significant ethical concern and you have been directed to seek an ethical opinion.

If you have any questions or are in doubt, please email research-governance@bristol.ac.uk.

Why is a research ethics review required?

The University of Bristol’s Ethics of Research Policy and Procedure exists with several key aims:

To protect the rights, dignity, health, safety and privacy of research subjects/participants.
To consider the welfare of animals and the integrity of the environment.
To protect the health, safety, rights and academic freedom of researchers and the reputation of the University as a centre for high-quality research.
To ensure that research complies with the legitimate requirements of outside research funders and collaborators.

Ethical Breaches

An ethical breach happens when you do not meet the ethical standards in your research by:

not gaining ethical approval before doing your research (where it is required)
making significant changes to the reviewed and approved research without getting it reapproved
unethical behaviour in the conduct of research [link to policy]
deviating from good research practice, resulting in potential harm to people, animals or the environment
misrepresenting participant views in your research outcomes by modifying or leaving out data that do not fit the expected results
not obtaining informed consent
breaking confidentiality, or sharing sensitive identifiable information without permission

This list is not complete. More examples can be found in the regulations on research misconduct (PDF).

Failure to adhere to ethics review requirements and obtain a favourable opinion before conducting research involving human participants, data or human tissue constitutes research misconduct.

For Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students, please see the ‘ethical breach in research’ guidance for further advice and guidance.