Introduction to Research Ethics

The Open University is committed to maintaining standards of professional conduct in all research activities. Central to the principles that guide research is that it must be conducted in accordance with the highest contemporary ethics standards.

On this website you will find information on research ethics at the Open University. This covers research involving the collection of data and/or biological samples from human participants and research with non-human animals, links to internal and external advice, and full details of the Open University human research approval process.

Guidance on areas which may be related to your research, e.g. Data protection and obtaining participants consent, can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section. There is also a set of Generic Protocols and Templates which can be utilised and adapted for research projects. In addition, OU researchers need to be aware of the following Open University documents:

• OU Code Of Practice For Research and Those Conducting Research - the standards of conduct and performance required of all those engaged in research at the University
• OU Ethics Principles for Research involving Human Participants