The Research Ethics Committee at the Institute for Psychology
The Research Ethics Committee at the Institute for Psychology (IPS-REC) is an internal committee that accepts applications for ethical approval from faculty and students at the institute for psychology at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway.
The committee offers
Advice on research ethics and handling of research data at IPS
Advice on the various entities that may be relevant for your research project and whether it is necessary to get approval (e.g., Sikt, REK)
Ethical approval for research projects that fulfil the guidelines for ethical research
The research ethics committee follows Norwegian and international laws, rules and guidelines for health-related research and research in the social sciences, data protection, research data and research ethics (see links below). It is the responsibility of the leader of each individual research project to know and follow these rules.
In addition to approval from the internal committee, it can be necessary to get approval from the regional committee for medical and health-related research ethics (REK) and/or the Norwegian centre for research data (Sikt).
Yes, I need REK approval: Please submit to REK, and not to IPS-REC
No, I don’t need REK: Please submit to IPS-REC; we will determine whether IPS-REC is eligible and either approve, reject or invite a resubmission; In case we are not eligible, please submit to REK anyway
I don’t know: Please either submit your proposal to REK as a “Fremleggingsvurdering”; REK will give you feedback on whether REK is eligible or not; at the same time, we invite you to also submit your application to IPS-REC (informing us that you also submitted to REK); we will process the application independently from REK; please inform us about REK’s decision - in case REK approval is required, submit a full application to REK. Otherwise, IPS-REC's approval will be valid
This flowchart illustrates the process of applying for ethical approval from REK and the IPS committee.
Yes, I need Sikt approval: submit application to Sikt and also proceed with a REK or IPS-REC application; please provide detailed description about issues relating to data confidentiality/data protection and indicate that you will obtain approval from Sikt
No, I don’t need Sikt: proceed with REK or IPS-REC application; provide a detailed description about issues relating to data confidentiality/data protection; indicate that you verified with Sikt that Sikt's approval is not necessary
You will receive feedback on whether your project can be approved or has to be revised and whether you will be required to apply for approval from REK and/or Sikt.
Links
Is it necessary to apply for REK? Read about it here.
Is it necessary to get Sikt approval? Read about it here.
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
The Research Ethics Committee at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (HSL)
The Research Ethics Committee at the HSL faculty review and approve research projects of the faculty staff and students that need to document the formal institutional approval of the ethical aspects of the research involved.
The committee offers
advice on how a research project can be conducted in an ethically responsible manner, i.e., ensuring that research activities involving human participants are conducted with respect for the dignity, rights, and welfare of participants and in a way that minimizes risks to participants, researchers, and other involved parties;
advice on other approvals/permits that may be relevant for a research project, e.g., Sikt (Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research) or other legal bodies;
The Research Ethics Committee follows the Norwegian and international legislation for research involving human participants as well as national and EU rules for the protection of personal data (see links below). The committee consists of six members from various academic fields and departments at the HSL faculty.
Applying for ethical approval of a research project
Please consider first whether your project should be notified to Sikt (Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research). If you are collecting and processing personal data in a research project, you should notify Sikt. Personal data is any data that can be linked to a person. Processing is any operation that is performed on personal data, including collecting and registering, arranging and analyzing, transferring and storing as well as publishing and archiving (https://sikt.no/en/personvernhandbok-forskning/what-personal-data). If you are only going to collect anonymous data, then the project should not be notified to Sikt. If it is necessary for you to obtain approval from HSL-Ethics in addition to the approval from Sikt, we recommend that you first obtain permission from Sikt.
Answer all relevant questions in the template. Submit your application by e-mail to research-ethics.hsl@uit.no
If you submit a revised version of a previous application, highlight all changes you have made since the original submission and provide the number of the original application in your new submission.
