Local authorities need tailored research ethics processes to support research capacity building.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Local authorities (LAs) are increasingly aiming to become more research active. Research ethics review is an important prerequisite of high-quality research. It is not clear what a LA ethics review process can (or should) look like, or whether it is needed in addition to external review processes. We aim to describe the scope and purpose of research ethics processes in LAs across England, and factors that are salient to their design.

Study design

Qualitative interview study.

Methods

Staff from 15 LAs in England were recruited to describe their research ethics process using purposeful and snowball sampling. One-hour interviews were conducted using a topic guide with five scenarios, drawn from LA projects. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed usin

SUBMITTER: Levitas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879698 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature