[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-161734-105":3,"doc-detail-161734-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":97},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","ethics-application-research-proposal-template-guidance-for-students","Ethics Application Research Proposal Template - Guidance for Students","","Ethics Application Research Proposal Template supporting Stellenbosch University Faculty of Engineering postgraduate and student researchers in preparing an ethics submission. The template explains how the Faculty Ethics Screening Committee (FESC) and the Research Ethics Committee: Social Behavioural and Education Research (REC: SBE) assess ethical risks, focusing on potential harm and free, informed consent. It provides key planning questions, instruction flow aligned with the REC: SBER Initial Application Form, recommended wording structure by headings, and guidance on staying within a 7,500-word limit.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/paper-templates/","Paper Templates",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/ethics-application-research-proposal-template-guidance-for-students/161734/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/ethics-application-research-proposal-template-guidance-for-students/161734.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Genevieve","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document","2026-09-20","2026-08-30",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",5,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the purpose of the research proposal for the ethics process?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The proposal supports the FESC and REC: SBE to evaluate ethical risks and provides the foundation for information required in the separate SBER application form.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which ethical issues will the FESC and REC: SBE primarily evaluate?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"They focus on whether the research poses any risk of harm to participants and whether participants receive free and informed consent.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What guidance does the template provide for drafting the proposal before submitting the application form?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It instructs students to use the template headings to structure the proposal, copy or adapt required information for the SBER form, and remove blue explanatory text before uploading.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},161734,1788108758,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":22,"category_id":86,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":87,"file_id":88,"file_url":89,"file_type":90,"file_size":91,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":92,"language":93,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":94,"faqs":95,"seo_title":96,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":30},1374391974585,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c",21,"\u0003Stellenbosch University Faculty of Engineering\nEthics Application Research Proposal Template\nGuidance for Students\n[NB:  Please delete this guidance page after finalising your research proposal]\nPurpose of the Research Proposal:\nYour research proposal is a key document that assists the Faculty Ethics Screening Committee (FESC) and the Research Ethics Committee: Social Behavioural and Education Research (REC: SBE) in evaluating the ethical risks associated with your research. While you will complete a separate SBER application form, your research proposal serves as the foundation for much of the information required in that form.\nThis template is designed to help you think through the complexities of your research project, making it easier and faster to complete the SBER form. Additionally, your research proposal ensures the FESC and REC: SBE receive enough detailed information about your proposed research to:\nunderstand what – and precisely how – you are investigating\nclearly identify any potential ethical risks associated with your research.\nEthical issues primarily focus on whether your research poses any risk of harm to individuals, and whether all research participants are provided with free and informed consent to participate. The FESC and REC: SBE will primarily evaluate these aspects.\nKey Questions to Guide Your Research:\nBefore drafting your research proposal, please consider the following questions to ensure your research is well-structured and aligned with ethical standards:\nWhat is the topic you plan to study?\nWhy is it worthwhile to study this topic? Consider the practical problems it may help solve or the valuable knowledge it could contribute.\nWhat specific tasks or steps will your research involve?\nWill your research require engagement with individuals, companies, or access to information that is not publicly available? Will you collect any personal identifiers?\nIf engaging with individuals or organisations, how can you minimise risks and maximise protections for participants?\nPostgraduate students can refer to slides 1 and 2 of \u0013 HYPERLINK \"https://www.eng.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/Do-I-need-to-apply-for-ethics-clearance.pdf\" \u0014THIS\u0015 document to determine if you need to submit an ethics application. If so, you will need to prepare a suitable research proposal. If you already have a research proposal, you may use it as the basis for this new version.\nInstructions for Preparing Your Research Proposal:\nPlease make use of this template to develop your research proposal BEFORE completing the “REC: Social, Behavioural, and Education (SBER) – Initial Application Form”. This template is designed to guide you through questions that align closely with the SBER form, helping you save time and avoid inconsistencies.\nUse all black headings provided in this template to structure your research proposal.\nExplanatory text in blue beneath each heading is included to guide you.  Please delete the explanatory text in blue before uploading your research proposal in response to Question 2.3 of the application form.\nSections with entries in the column to the right indicate where you can directly copy and paste information into the SBER application form or use it to inform the required sections.\nNB:  The word limit for your research proposal is 7,500 words (the REC will unfortunately return your application if it exceeds 7,500 words).  Each section includes a suggested maximum length to help you meet this limit. By carefully following these guidelines, you can create a thorough and ethically sound research proposal while streamlining the application process.  \u000bNB:  Please delete this guidance page after finalising your research proposal.\u0004","cbCaipIPPFnYjJlZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipIPPFnYjJlZ","docx",145621,8,"English","# Purpose of the Research Proposal\n## Key Questions to Guide Your Research\n## Instructions for Preparing Your Research Proposal","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of the research proposal for the ethics process?\",\"answer\":\"The proposal supports the FESC and REC: SBE to evaluate ethical risks and provides the foundation for information required in the separate SBER application form.\"},{\"question\":\"Which ethical issues will the FESC and REC: SBE primarily evaluate?\",\"answer\":\"They focus on whether the research poses any risk of harm to participants and whether participants receive free and informed consent.\"},{\"question\":\"What guidance does the template provide for drafting the proposal before submitting the application form?\",\"answer\":\"It instructs students to use the template headings to structure the proposal, copy or adapt required information for the SBER form, and remove blue explanatory text before uploading.\"}]","Ethics Application Research Proposal Template - Guidance for Students | DOCX",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":98},[99,104,109,114,119,124,129,134,136],{"id":100,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":105,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":110,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":115,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":120,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":125,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":130,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":133},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":86,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":135},"papers-templates",{"id":137,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":139},158,"General","general-158"]