Preparation
If required, researchers can avail of the Research Ethics Support Clinics with the REC Chair (contact rec@dcu.ie for details) to discuss the specific ethical context of their research and receive guidance where appropriate. The researcher should review the REC meeting calendar and identify the meeting date and corresponding submission deadline that they wish to apply for. Best practice is to build in a sufficient time period between the meeting date and the anticipated start date for data collection, in order to facilitate any post review actions that are required prior to approval being granted.
The researcher then identifies the level of review required (notification, expedited, full committee), writes the application form and all other associated documentation. The REC application form, Plain Language Statement and Informed Consent Form templates can be found here. Applicants should ensure that they are using the most current version of the REC application form, when putting together their application.