Ethics
University Guidance
Departmental Guidance
Many research projects in the broad field of linguistics involve collection of data from human participants. The ethical issues surrounding these projects must be considered in accordance with the department’s ethics approval procedure. The department’s Research Training Seminar includes a session in the Spring term on what kind of research requires ethics approval and how ethics applications should be completed. All postgraduate students 11 MUST attend this training session at least once (by all means attend more than once if you need a refresher). You should also consult your supervisor and the Forms and Documents page on the Department’s website for more information on the approval process. Note that you will need to provide evidence of consideration of ethical issues in relation to your own research in order to progress within your degree (see the section on Academic Progression below).
As a research student, you are responsible for ensuring that you apply to the Department Ethics Committee for ethics approval in good time before you collect any data. Be sure to read all of the guidance on the department’s “Forms and Documents” webpage before starting your application. You should submit a draft of your ethics application to your supervisor, initially, and discuss the application with them. After any revisions in response to your supervisor’s advice, you should submit your ethics application to the Ethics Committee.