Overview

Despite the easing of lock-down it is still preferable to conduct research online where possible.

Researchers should consider if you can adapt your research to conduct participant interactions remotely and how this affects ethical approval. When considering adjustments give thought to whether a change to the research protocol might alter the level of risk to the participant. For example, if you will ask questions on a sensitive topic, to conduct research remotely might remove the safeguard of the researcher being able to detect distress and the mitigation of referring to an appropriately trained person.

If this is not to conduct research online,your research could be paused for a number of months and in these cases research ethics committees will not require notification. You must inform your participants that the research has been paused. It will be key that in whatever communication you send to participants that you describe how any actively enrolled participants will be managed, particularly concerning any safety monitoring/follow-up etc where applicable.

If you wish to begin or restart research face-to-face please see university guidance on how to gain appropriate health and safety approval. Please note, health and safety approval must be gained via your department before applying for ethical approval.

Where planned activities have been modified (which includes moving activities to online from face-to-face, or vice versa) an amendment must be submitted to your faculty research ethics committee for approval, these will be processed as quickly as possible. Any modified activities (those not as described in the original application) should not take place until the amendment is approved. Continuing a project where the activities deviate from the approved protocol could constitute research misconduct.

There is no need to inform the ethics committee when switching between approved protocols within the project. Therefore, if you resume face-to-face activities or if additional lockdown measures are reintroduced so you resume online research there is no need to inform the committee, as long as you are following an approved protocol.

Changing to conduct research remotely

If you have not yet begun data collection but have ethics committee approval you will need to submit an amendment to the appropriate FREC. You should submit an amended application form and likely need to include evidence of consideration of confidentiality, amended participant information sheets and consent forms and if additional personal information needs to be collected, information about data storage plans. You will be able to proceed once your request is re-approved.

If you have already begun data collection and will now change to remote participant interaction then you will need to plan for a short pause whilst you submit an amendment as outlined above. Any already active participants must be informed of the switch to remote interaction and be provided with the updated participant information sheet. It is important that you make clear to participants that if they no longer wish to participate owing to this change, or for any other reason, that they are free to withdraw at any point.

Postgraduate Students: If you are unsure if it will be possible to conduct your research remotely you should discuss this with your supervisor as soon as possible. Once the appropriate way forward has been agreed, please follow the guidance below to adapt your research.

Research design

Some points to keep in mind are as follows:

• Research in healthcare or social care settings. Some applicants’ research may involve interviewing people who are now considered "key workers" on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis. It is important to consider if participation in such research, even when it is remote, might divert those workers' time, attention and cognitive resources from the coronavirus response work at hand. The Faculty Research Ethics Committees operate independently of the NHS’ ethics review system, but we should nonetheless be guided by the NHS Health Research Authority which says that in proposed amendments to existing studies “[s]ponsors must not make any such changes that would create additional burden to NHS staff or resources.” Similarly it is important to consider these issues for new applications focused in healthcare/social care settings.

• Research in other public sector and frontline settings. Other parts of the public and private sectors providing and supporting key frontline services are under increased pressure at this time. Examples range from criminal justice personnel, civil servants, and infrastructure workers, to supermarket employees, delivery drivers, and those providing support services to other frontline industries and service providers. Many of these are facing increased demand to be delivered under highly restrictive conditions with workforces depleted by sickness. Researchers should consider the impact their research may have under these circumstances and seek to minimise or avoid adding to the burden of workers or disrupting the delivery of services in such settings.

• Research and the digital divide. When designing new research with remote data collection or if you are proposing to switch from face-to-face to remote data collection, please consider issues of the digital divide, that is the technology, skill and infrastructure needed for participants effectively to engage with the researcher’s project. What are the means whereby the researcher proposes to contact participants? Will going online have financial implications for participants? For example, will they have to use their own mobile data plans or pay as you go plans? How much thought has the applicant given to this, what measures are put in place to avoid disadvantaging participants? Will engaging in remote data collection place undue pressure and strain on participants, for example those who are also looking after children or elderly people? To note, if you already have ethical approval for your project before implementing any changes you will need to submit an amendment to the relevant Faculty Research Ethics Committee. The amendment form and guidance are on the faculty ethics webpages under the header ‘Amendments to projects’.

• Sensitive topics. A change to the research protocol from face-to-face interviews might alter the level of risk to the participant if the researcher intends to ask questions on a sensitive topic. Conducting research remotely might remove the safeguard of the researcher being able to detect distress and the mitigation of referring to an appropriately trained person. It will also be important to ensure the appropriateness of conducting research remotely with participants who are likely to be at home (during self isolation, government measures to stay at home) both in relation to the content and to the process. For example will participants need to have privacy and be able to access privacy when engaging in this research? Will conducting research with participants in their own home place them at risk, for example they may not want to disclose their participation to other family members?

• Privacy and data protection. Researchers should consider the privacy and security implications of conducing and (especially) recording interviews conducted remotely via the Internet/social media instead of face-to-face. The university recommends Teams, but this may not always be possible or preferable for research participants. Check the privacy statements and reputations of software and service providers. Discuss any risks and precautions being taken with participants (and in PIS) to ensure informed consent.