CHESREC Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for the Cambridge Higher Education Studies Research Ethics Committee are:

  1. To receive details of any research involving human participants or personal data carried out by members of staff or students conducting research on teaching and learning matters, or research relating to student admissions including outreach/recruitment work with potential students, conducted or coordinated by institutions at the University of Cambridge not affiliated to a Department / Faculty, where such research might be considered to raise ethical issues;
  2. To consider such research on behalf of the university and to:  give a favourable opinion of the research design and protocols as proposed; give a favourable opinion following advice or changes to the planned research; give a favourable opinion under certain defined conditions or specific requirements; or to refuse to endorse the research;*
  3. To advise, at its discretion, on the ethics of studies not satisfying the criteria in (1) above;
  4. Where the committee considers that they are unable to provide the necessary level of review, to refer the case to a relevant School-level Research Ethics Committee;
  5. Where the committee receives a project that falls under the Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care, to refer the case to an NRES ethics committee;
  6. To report annually to the University Research Ethics Committee.


*Note: In the specific case of Cambridge Admissions Office research using secondary data that was conducted after a relevant Standard Protocol was approved by UREC in June 2019, to review this research by applying that Standard Protocol.

In fulfilling its terms of reference, and mindful of the University's Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech and the need to have particular regard for the importance of free speech within the law, Cambridge Higher Education Studies Research Ethics Committee will consider whether any decisions that it takes, on policy or other matters, could directly or indirectly (and positively or negatively) affect free speech within the law and record in its decisions any significant points arising from these deliberations.