Research ethics
Good research requires a valuable question, sound design, consent, protection of participants and transparent reporting.
Understand
Research ethics includes scientific value, fair selection, informed consent, confidentiality and proportionate risk. Approval and consent are complementary safeguards.
Assess
Identify whether an activity is research, audit or service evaluation under local definitions. Consider vulnerable participants and data governance from the design stage.
Apply
Register and report honestly, including negative findings and protocol deviations. Never alter routine care or use identifiable data for research without the required approvals.
Key distinctions
Informed consent to research requires understanding, voluntariness and ongoing respect for withdrawal; ethics review evaluates the study's design and protections. Data minimisation and secure handling matter even for apparently routine records. Research, audit and service evaluation have different purposes and governance routes, but calling a project “audit” does not remove all data protection obligations.
Think through a case
A trainee wants to use identifiable patient photographs in a study. The project needs the correct governance and consent route before data collection.
The distinction to remember
Do not assume audit, service evaluation and research have identical approvals or that consent replaces oversight.
Test your recall
Why is ethical approval distinct from individual consent?
Show answer
Both oversight and a participant's own informed decision may be needed.