The University pursues a research ethos that promotes exceptional expertise as well as ethical responsibility in the quest for knowledge and the development, conservation and transfer of such knowledge. The University strives towards quality research that contributes to the South African society and to the international community. The University aims to achieve this by creating an enabling environment for researchers. Its role is also to protect the rights of the institution, the researcher and participants as laid out by the Constitution and applicable legislation.
For more information please contact:
Marisa Leask (Ethics Administrator)
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
All researchers at the University of Pretoria must have their research protocol approved before doing fieldwork and be familiar with the relevant policies and procedure for responsible ethical research.
Click to view Application Process Flow
Students can only apply after successful defence of their proposal. University staff members also need to apply for ethics approval and can apply for the entire project, or multiple times to cover specific research activities as they unfold in the life of the project.
The application form consists of three parts. The first part is an overview of the research project and the researcher’s biographical details. The second part is the Personal Declaration of Responsibility in which the researcher commitments to do research ethically and in terms of the requirements of the University of Pretoria. By signing this section the researcher agrees that the information collected belongs to the University of Pretoria. The researcher also agrees to inform the Ethics Committee of any amendments to the approved protocol. The third part consists of five sections. Only the section applicable to the type of research must be submitted by the researcher. The sections are:
Once completed, the application form must be submitted to the Department Representative a week before the committee meetings. The Departmental Representative checks that the form has been correctly completed and submits the application to the Ethics Committee at the monthly meeting. Examples on how to complete the application have been provided on the website. Currently electronic applications are not accepted.
The application is confidentially assessed by two independent reviewers on the Committee to evaluate if the information provided meets the ethical requirements and guidelines as set out in the University and Faculty policies. If the application meets all the criteria the protocol is approved. However, should the reviewer identify any ethical concerns on the application form a decision will be made on the seriousness of the issue. Applications with serious concerns have to be revised and resubmitted and minor concerns will be conditionally approved. All decisions made by the Committee will be communicated in writing to the researcher. Researchers who receive a revise and resubmit or conditional approval letter should respond within a month to the Committee clearly indicating the changes made as recommended in the letter.
At the end of the research a Clearance Certificate must be requested from the Ethical Committee together with a completed Integrated Declaration Form (D08) and proof of the registered title. The Clearance Certificate forms part of the final thesis or dissertation for marking.
In cases where the participants are seen as vulnerable and/or the research topic intrusive, approval form Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee is also required. Vulnerable participants are incarcerated, institutionalised, marginalised, disadvantaged people and groups amongst other that have:
These applications must be approved by both the Education and Health Sciences Ethics Committee. All applications must first be reviewed by the Faculty of Education Ethics Committee before the application can be submitted to the Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee. The application procedure and documentation Once approved by the Health Ethics Committee the researcher must notify the Education Committee thereof for an approval letter to be issued.
Click to view Application Process Flow
Applications must submitted a week before the meeting dates to their Department Representative.
Completed application form examples
Policy documents
Documents: Education Faculty
Documentation: Health Sciences Faculty
Department of Education Information
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