Ethics documentation

Overview

Questions

• Which documents related to ethical approval are needed in a publication package for my research project?

Objectives

• Assign all relevant ethical documentation to the publication package of your own research project
• Apply best practices for file names and file formats in your publication package

Infographic snippet: Documents related to the ethical approval (e.g. approval letter, blank consent form)

Steps to take

• You should provide the documents related to the ethical approval. Think of the approval letter from the ethical committee, a blank consent form, and the ethics application text for your project.
• Make sure the files are saved in a sustainable file format. This can be a .pdf or .odt file.
• Provide the documents with a good file name (use the three principles for file naming described in this presentation) and save it in the documentation folder.

Example files

See the documentation/ethics_approval_letter.pdf and documentation/informed_consent_form.pdf file from the EUR publication package example repository on Zenodo:

Figure: Ethics approval letter from the EUR publication package example

Figure: Blank consent form from the EUR publication package example

Key Points

• Add sufficient documentation to the publication package in the form of a data management plan, manuscript, readme file, and ethics documentation
• Save the files using clear file names and in sustainable file formats