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Ensure you are complying with UCL's governance policies and principles of integrity when involved in research and innovation projects.
Research Governance
Find out about how UCL expects you to conduct your research and any action to be taken in response to alleged research misconduct.
Research Integrity
UCL considers high standards of research integrity across all of its activities to be of the utmost importance.
UCL Research Integrity provide information and resources on how to conduct your research in accordance with professional standards.
Research Ethics
In order for research to result in benefit and minimise the risk of harm, it must be conducted ethically. All studies that require ethical approval are expected to have approval in place before the research begins.
- UCL Research Ethics
- Guidance for researchers
- Guidance on conducting overseas research
- Guidance for external researchers
- Accepted ethical standards
- Which ethics committee do I apply to?
- About the UCL Research Ethics Committee (UCL REC)
- Applying to the UCL REC
- Local Research Ethics Committees (LRECs)
Research Ethics compliance
Everyone involved in research at UCL, whether on-premises or overseas, as well as external researchers and collaborators, are expected to read and comply with UCL's Research Ethics guidance.
Ethical approvals
Find information on ethical approval requirements for specific types of research.
- Do I need ethical approval?
- Research involving human participants and/or their data
- Research involving human tissue
- Research with animals
- Research conducted overseas
Data Protection
Data protection is part of the ethics process. You must register for data protection before you start to collect any data. Guidance for staff and postgraduate students to help register their research project with the Data Protection Office (DPO) is available on the UCL Data Protection website.
Research related policies
These include Research, Finance, and Human Resources (HR) policies.
Key policies
- UCL Research Funding Ethics Policy
- Data Protection Policy
- Innovation governance and policies
- Research Excellence Framework (REF)
- Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF)
- UCL Intellectual Property (IP) Policy
- UCL Disclosure of Conflict and Declaration of Interest Policy
- Information Security Policy
- Research funders: research data policies & expectations
- Funder Golden Rules (Post-Award)
- UCL HR policies
- Safeguarding policies
COVID-19
Find out more about UCL's current COVID-19 policies.
- Keeping safe on campus
- Living safely with respiratory and other common infections, including COVID-19
- COVID travel (UCL login required)
- Travel guidance for staff (UCL login required)
- Framework for starting or resuming fieldwork at non-UCL settings
- UCL Institute of Education (IOE) starting or resuming face-to-face fieldwork
UCL Policy Search
If there is a policy not listed here, please try searching the new UCL Policy Library on the UCL Staff Intranet. The Library includes policies from across UCL departments.
Strategies
The following strategies outline how UCL will support research excellence and impact to nurture and celebrate a culture of expertise that delivers benefits to our society.
Codes of Conduct
All staff and students engaged in research must follow UCL and the relevant nationally recognised professional code of conduct suitable for their research specialism.
- UCL Code of Conduct for Research
- Professional Codes of Conduct for researchers
- UCL Procedure for investigating and resolving allegations of misconduct in academic research (pdf)
- UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research
- Research staff handbook (pdf)
Data Safe Haven Assurance
The Information Governance team can provide support for researchers on data applications. As well as the NHS, they have experience with compliance standards for the Data Safe Haven (DSH) covering data providers, such as the Department for Education (DfE), Transport for London (TfL) and others.
They also guide researchers on data handling, particularly around pseudonymisation/ anonymisation and the security of IT systems. For general queries, please email the Information Governance team at: infogov@ucl.ac.uk
For more information on the Information Governance assurance process for gaining access to the UCL Data Safe Haven, visit the Data Safe Haven Assurance webpage on the Information Services website.