Ethics in Research Clearance
Any person planning to undertake research in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment needs
to complete the Assessment of Ethics in Research Projects form after they have read the latest
revision of the EBE EiR Handbook. This includes staff, students, as well as any person planning to
conduct research on people.
Procedure
1. When do you complete this form?
Your research proposal needs to be complete and you need to have decided on your methods of data collection. You need to complete the form and get it approved before collecting or analysing data.
2. What do you do when you have completed the form?
If you are an undergraduate student
- Submit the form to your Head of Department (or nominee).
If you are a postgraduate student or a staff member:
- If you have answered NO to all four questions on the form: The Head of Department must sign the form and you may keep the form on file.
- If you have answered YES to any of the four questions: Submit the form to Ms Zulpha Geyer at the EBE Ethics in Research Committee.
3. What to do with the completed and approved form?
If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student:
- The form needs to be bound into your thesis. Else keep the form for your records.
4. Application procedure and time lines
- Proposals (in electronic format) to reach the EiRC Administrator by 25th of each month. The signed paper version to follow after the electronic version has been submitted.
- Applications will be checked for completeness and distributed to EiRC members electronically. Incomplete applications cannot be distributed.
- Complete applications will be considered by a working group drawn from members of the EiRC at a meeting on the 12th (or nearest working day) of the following month.
- At the Committee's discretion, applicants and supervisors will be invited to attend meetings at which proposals will be reviewed. This practice permits an early opportunity to address problems and queries that arise.
- Applicants will be advised by email of the Committee's decision, usually, within 24 hours of the meeting.
- Applications that need to be re-worked should be re-submitted, usually, by 25th of the following month. If only minor corrections are required, the Committee may indicate that resubmission may take place sooner.
The following forms can be downloaded
HR194: Application to Access UCT staff for research purposes
DSA100: Application to Access UCT students for research purposes
For any queries email Ms Zulpha Geyer at the EBE Ethics in Research Committee.