Research Ethics at NIoT
At the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), we are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in educational research. Our ethics review procedure is designed to be efficient, constructive, fit for purpose, and future-proof, ensuring rigorous ethical integrity while supporting high-quality research.
To develop a robust and transparent process, we conducted a comprehensive review of ethical guidelines from universities, research organisations, and learned societies across the UK and beyond. By benchmarking against best practices, we created a systematic and evidence-based approach to ethics review.
Our process includes:
- Developing structured ethics review application documents to streamline submissions.
- Piloting these documents with our Research and Best Practice Team to refine their effectiveness.
- Gathering internal and external feedback, including insights from expert reviewers, to ensure clarity, fairness, and rigor.
As part of our ongoing commitment to research integrity, we continue to evolve our ethics review procedure through annual reviews and case study development, ensuring alignment with the latest advancements in educational research ethics. For more details on the development process, please refer to our full project plan.
Ethics forms for three strands of research
Application or notification forms
- "Primary research" ethics application form
- "Evidence synthesis" notification form
- “Rapid inquiry" notification form
Informed consent forms
- Informed consent form template
- Informed assent form template (under 16 years old)
- Informed consent form template (guardians/parents)
- Guidance for Easy read consent form and information sheet
Project information sheet
Optional forms
- Invitation letter template
- Risk assessment template
- Resources for risk assessment
- Amendment form template
- Debrief sheet template
- Recruitment advert template
Other documents
- Feedback guide for ethics reviewers
- Ethics principles and procedure for conducting research at the NIoT
If you have any questions, you can contact NIoT’s Research Ethics Committee: [email protected]