Oversight Types

1. Educational Research
   • Studies focused on educational practices or evaluations within schools, universities, or other learning environments.
   • Research involving teaching methods, learning outcomes, and the impact of educational programs.
2. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Research
   • Studies evaluating the use, efficacy, or safety of complementary and alternative treatments, such as herbal remedies, acupuncture, or mindfulness practices, that do not involve regulated pharmaceutical drugs or invasive procedures.
   • Ethical oversight involves ensuring participant consent, avoiding harm, and clearly communicating the non-medical nature of such interventions.
3. Public Health and Community-based Research
   • Research focusing on public health initiatives, such as assessments of health interventions or community health promotion activities.
   • Studies involving public health data analysis, with ethical concerns around data handling, confidentiality, and minimizing risks to participants.
4. Low-risk Health and Behavioural Research
   • Studies that examine health behaviours, such as dietary habits or physical activity, without involving invasive medical procedures or interventions.
   • Non-interventional health research, such as observational studies where data is collected without altering participants’ behaviour or health.
5. Research Involving Publicly Available Data or Low-risk Data Collection
   • Studies using secondary data already in the public domain, such as social media analysis, official statistics, or public records.
   • Research involving anonymized data, ensuring minimal risk to participant privacy.
6. Organisational and Policy Research
   • Studies conducted within organisations or governmental bodies to understand policy impacts or employee behaviour.
   • Organisational assessments involving surveys or interviews with staff, as long as they do not include sensitive personal health data.
7. Non-clinical Social Science and Humanities Research
   • Studies involving qualitative methods like interviews, focus groups, or surveys.
   • Research exploring community engagement, social behaviour, or cultural studies without direct medical interventions.
   • Projects that have ethical dimensions but do not require clinical trial governance.
8. Evaluative and Quality Improvement Research
   • Oversight for projects evaluating existing programs or interventions, which have ethical considerations but may not need formal ethics committee reviews.
   • Quality improvement projects aiming to enhance practices, services, or policies without introducing experimental variables.
9. Citizen Science and Participatory Research
   • Research that involves citizens as active participants, often focusing on community-driven inquiries without involving medical procedures.
   • Participatory action research aimed at social change, involving collaborative efforts with communities.
10. Ethical Guidance for Emerging Areas
    • Oversight for research involving emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data privacy, and digital technology use.
    • Providing frameworks for evaluating the ethical implications of new technologies, ensuring responsible innovation and protecting participants’ privacy and rights.

Drug Trials and Medical Device Testing: IERG do not provide oversight for clinical trials involving drug testing, invasive medical procedures, or regulated medical devices.

High-risk Interventional Studies: Research involving high-risk procedures, vulnerable populations (e.g., children or those lacking capacity), or requiring NHS REC approval would be beyond our purview.

In general healthcare research which is outside the scope of IERG requires review by an NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC).The HRA decision tool will help you to determine if your study requires a review by an NHS REC: https://www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/ethics/