Training and Guidance

Guidance for Staff

Please consult the relevant user guide in the drop down below first and if you are still unable to find the answer to your query, please contact your Department Ethics Lead (DEL) or Faculty Research Ethics Director (FRED) - their details can be found on the Intranet here.

Supervisors and module tutors can contact the DEL or FRED - their details can be found below.

Alternatively, you can contact the Ethics team at ethicssupport@northumbria.ac.uk. Please quote your project ID from the Ethics Online System.

Guidance for Students

Please consult the relevant user guide in the drop down below first and if you are still unable to find the answer to your query:

If you are an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught student, please contact your supervisor or module tutor. 

If you are a Postgraduate Research student, please contact you supervisor.

Alternatively, you can contact the Ethics team at ethicssupport@northumbria.ac.uk. Please quote your project ID from the Ethics Online System.

Chair of the Research Ethics Committee

Professor Louise Bracken, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.

Any formal allegations of research misconduct should be made to the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee, as stated in our Management of Research Misconduct Policy.

Head of Research Ethics and Integrity

Laura Hutchinson, Head of Research Culture and Integrity, and Research Ethics and Integrity Manager.

Faculty Research Ethics Directors

Arts, Design, and Social Sciences: Professor Alex Ho-Cheong Leung.

Business and Law: Dr Russell Warhurst.

Engineering and Environment: Dr Ian Forbes.

Health and Life Sciences: Professor Nick Neave.

Department Ethics Leads

Ethics and Integrity Team

Other members of the Ethics and Integrity team include Gill Drinkald, Research Policy Co-ordinator (Systems and Processes), and Hala Othman, Research Policy Coordinator (Ethics and Researcher Development).

You can read more about the Ethics and Integrity team at Northumbria University on the staff profiles page, here under 'Research Policy', and then 'Research Ethics and Integrity'.

Northumbria University subscribes to two research ethics and integrity online training packages, delivered by Epigeum. These are self-paced, accessible modules which you can use to inform your research practices and projects, or complete as a course to receive a certificate at the end. Although these are not compulsory, they are highly recommended to both staff and postgraduate students. They are only available to these two groups.

This is a compulsory requirement for Postgraduate Research Students who started before 31st December 2023.

Training Packages - Ethical Research

'Ethical Research' is split into two courses: 'Becoming an Ethical Researcher' and 'Research Ethics in Practice'. Developed by international higher education professionals, these courses will enable you to develop a critical understanding of the theoretical and practical implications of researching ethically. The first course takes a behavioural approach to learning about research ethics, covering ethical values, approaches to ethical decision-making and exploring ethical challenges across a range of disciplines. The second course covers the practical application of ethics during a research project, including working with human participants, data management, ethics approvals and working ethically in a global environment.

Training Packages - Research Integrity

'Research Integrity' is an online learning programme designed to support new researchers with good research conduct. Starting with an overview of key responsibilities in the first module, the course goes on to explore the fundamentals of planning, managing, recording and publishing research. The last module covers the wider responsibilities that researchers assume as they develop their careers, from taking on different roles to communicating their findings to the public. These modules should:

• Enable you to conduct research of the highest quality and increase confidence in your published works.
• Help you meet the criteria for many key funding bodies.
• Update you on best practices in responsible research behaviour and so improve your career prospects.

Accessing Training

If you have previously used Epigeum, you can log in again via this link here.

If you are using Epigeum for the first time, you can click here to register, and follow the guidance below to set up your new account.

When you are filling out the registration form, you must use your Northumbria email ending with '@northumbria.ac.uk'.

Please enter the following token in the relevant field on the registration form:

You will then be sent an account activation email; please click on the link in the email to complete your registration to activate your account. If you don't receive this email, please first check your spam/junk inbox, and failing that, you can resend the activation link to yourself via this link, here.

Once you have activated your account, you can then log in using your username and password. You will then be shown the 'Research Integrity (Second Edition)' and the 'Ethical research' programmes in the 'My Courses' screen. If you do not see these then you will need to reenter your token using the 'Enter Token' button in the user menu.

Postgraduate Research Students who started after 1st January 2024 must complete the 'PGR Ethics Training' session. This is a mandatory in-person training session that must be completed in your first 12 months, before Annual Progression (Year One), and before data collection commences.

Postgraduate Research Students who started before 31st December 2023 must complete the eLearning offer which can be found above.

Both the 'PGR Ethics Training' sessions and the eLearning offer are available to all PGR Students and we encourage you to complete both.

Upcoming dates for the 'PGR Ethics Training' sessions are as below:

Tuesday 23rd April, 11:00-12:30, Sandyford 417

Thursday 13th June, 14:00-15:30, CCE-1 223a

Please join the waiting lists for these events if you are interested in attending as we may be able to expand the capacity.

All academic staff must complete the mandatory ethics module on Oracle every three years.

Staff can access this following the below steps:

• Log in to NU People and Finance.
• Click the 'Me' tab.
• Then click the 'Learning' tile.
• A screen is shown where a course name can be typed in to search for it.
• Search for 'Northumbria University: Research Ethics'.
• Click on the item.
• Click 'enroll' to launch the course.

Please note that Oracle is hosted by HR, so any queries should be directed to them.

Throughout the academic year, we host a variety of training opportunities for colleagues to develop their understanding and knowledge on a wide range of topics relating to Ethics and Integrity. Sessions are a mix of both online and in person. These include sessions to support the use of the Ethics Online System, to develop knowledge on pertinent and topical subjects relating to Ethics and Integrity, and events hosted by external providers.

Please follow this link to the Research calendar on LibCal where you can browse and register for events.

Staff User Guides

Staff Applicant User Guide

Supervisor User Guide

Reviewer and Chair User Guide

Staff Ethics Amendment User Guide

Ethics Lead Troubleshooting Guide

Module Level Approval Process and Guidance

FAQs

Student User Guides

Student Applicant User Guide

Student Ethics Amendment User Guide

FAQs

We have provided a range of video resources for staff and students to assist with use of the Ethics Online System.

Ethics Introduction

A short video introducing the Ethics webpages and to show how to access the Ethics Online System.

Student Application Guidance

A brief video to support students making an ethics application, to submit module level approval applications, and some contextual information on the review process.

Staff Application Guidance

A video to walk staff through the process of applying for ethical approval for both individual projects and for module level approval, and offer some contextual information on the review process.

Reviewer and Chair Guidance

Guidance for reviewers and chairs on how to access, navigate, add comments, and conduct reviews in the Ethics Online System whilst offering some contextual information about roles and responsibilities. Slides available here.