Research Ethics Guidance

Abstract

The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) has commissioned UCLan to produce the standardised guidance on ethics for field research on widening participation and student success. The resulting guidance offers an overview of ethical considerations that come with various research methods used in that field. The guidance focuses in particular on ethical considerations surrounding the use of experimental and quasi-experimental methods, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and other large-scale quantitative methods, which are novel for many providers, practitioners, and evaluators in the higher education sector.
This guidance is designed to support those who work on widening participation and student success in Higher Education (HE). It will help them navigate ethical considerations and deliver best practice in research/evaluation while respecting the rights of participants and minimising any potential harm. The guidance is consistent with the various policies on research integrity that have been agreed upon within UK higher education. It will also support researchers/evaluators working within Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in their interactions with their own Research Ethics Committees (RECs).