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Research

Full Committee Review

Full Committee Review

Full committee review is intended for research that involves risks to participants which are greater than those found in everyday life. These may be of a physiological, psychological or social nature. Most projects involving vulnerable groups of participants will be included here.

Please note that any study involving animal subjects must undergo full committee review. Applicants should contact the Bio-Resource Advisory Group (brag@dcu.ie) in the first instance, as there is an internal review meeting to be undertaken with them before any application is submitted to REC.

Examples of projects suitable for submission for full committee review include:

  • Physically invasive research other than projects involving pre-approved techniques that follow standardised protocols.
  • Research using qualitative methods to investigate highly sensitive topics or those likely to illicit highly personal information, such as those involving significant relationships, suicide, trauma, sexuality or potentially unethical or illegal behaviour. Topics at risk of leading to stigmatisation or discrimination are also included here.
  • Research involving vulnerable groups where the participants are placed at higher than everyday risk. Such research requires careful ethical evaluation as increased vulnerability sometimes increases the risk of harm to participants or generates additional types of harm. However, precise definitions of vulnerability are not universally agreed and research involving vulnerable groups raises different degrees of risk. For example, a project asking abuse survivors about their experience of abuse raises different levels of risk compared to asking the same people about issues unrelated to abuse. Such factors should be discussed clearly in the REC application.
  • Research where the information obtained may have immediate and/or long-term legal, economic or social consequences for participants.  
  • Projects with a strong likelihood of identifying illegal activities, even if those committing such acts cannot be identified (such as some internet-based research).
  • Research projects where participants are in a dependant relationship with the researcher and where the research process or its findings may negatively impact the participants.
  • Projects involving surveillance and recording of people without their consent.
  • Projects involving inducements or payments to participate that go beyond travel reimbursement or small expressions of gratitude. The concern is that these could be seen as enticing some people to accept greater risks then they might otherwise be willing to accept.
  • Projects involving deception of the form where participants are provided false or misleading information; or where participants might experience guilt or other distress when the true nature of the research is revealed; or where the research topic is sensitive or the participants vulnerable.
  • Projects that put participants or researchers in harm’s way.
  • Research involving children that might provoke psychological discomfort or distress. Researchers working with children should be aware of child protection guidelines and conduct research involving children to the highest ethical standards. Children protection guidelines in relation to research were published in April 2012 and should be complied with. Researchers involving children should remain current in their knowledge of such responsibilities.
  • Research involving other participants who cannot give full consent themselves, such as people with some types of intellectual disabilities, or patients who are not competent to consent.
  • Research involving the collection of human tissues for research purposes.
  • Research involving ethically controversial tissues such as human embryos, human foetuses or tissues from aborted human foetuses.