Departmental Research Ethics Committees (DRECs)
Departmental research ethics committees (DRECs) have delegated authority from the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) IDREC to approve research with 'straightforward' ethical issues (ie CUREC 1A applications). DRECs report to the SSH IDREC on a termly basis.
The following guide may be helpful to both DRECs and researchers:
Less straightforward cases where full CUREC 2 applications are required must be submitted to the DREC in the first instance for initial review, and processed by the DREC within three weeks of receipt. Once the DREC is satisfied, the CUREC 2 application will then be sent to the SSH IDREC for final review and approval. Where researchers apply for ethical review after the commencement of their research, they may only apply to the SSH IDREC, not their DREC.
Please see the SSH IDREC and DREC application process page for further information.
The following departments have DRECs. Please apply to the DREC following the same principles as for applications to the SSH IDREC.
| Department | DREC name and Chair | Taking staff/student applications? | Contact for submitting applications or queries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blavatnik School of Government | BSG DREC Chair: Dr Thomas Elston |
Staff and students | Ingrid Locatelli and Armando Roman Zozaya (ethics@bsg.ox.ac.uk) |
| Computer Science | CS DREC Chair: Dr Andrew Martin |
Staff and students | Sharon Backer-Holst and Katherine Fletcher (ethics@cs.ox.ac.uk) |
| Continuing Education | OUDCE DREC Chair: Dr Alistair Ross |
Staff and students | Tim Burman (researchethics@conted.ox.ac.uk) |
| Economics | Economics DREC Chair: Dr Simon Quinn |
Staff and students | Eleonara Fulcini (eleonora.fulcini@economics.ox.ac.uk) |
| Education | Education DREC Chair: Dr Liam Gearon |
Staff and students | Jackie Bridges (research.office@education.ox.ac.uk) |
| International Development | ODID DREC Chair: Prof Laura Rival |
Staff and students |
Staff applications: Emma Rundall (emma.rundall@qeh.ox.ac.uk) |
| Oxford Institute of Population Ageing | OIA DREC Chair: Prof Kenneth Howse |
Staff and students | administrator@ageing.ox.ac.uk |
| Oxford Internet Institute | OII DREC Chair: Prof Rebecca Eynon |
Staff and students | drec@oii.ox.ac.uk |
| Oxford School of Global and Area Studies | OSGA DREC Chair: Prof Timothy Power |
Staff and students | Francesca Tucci (curec@area.ox.ac.uk) |
| Politics and International Relations | DREC Chairs: Dr Ezequiel Gonzalez Ocantos (Politics only) Dr Andrew Hurrell (International Relations only) |
BA, Masters and DPhil students only |
Andrew Melling (andrew.melling@politics.ox.ac.uk) |
| Social Policy and Intervention | SPI DREC Chair: Dr Jamie Lachman |
Staff and students | Olivia Thornton (ethics@spi.ox.ac.uk) |
| Sociology | Sociology DREC Chair: Prof Christiaan Monden |
Staff and students | Agnieszka Swiejkowska (research@sociology.ox.ac.uk) |
| Saïd Business School | SBS DREC Chair: Dr Janet Smart |
Staff and students | Wei Jiang (ethics@sbs.ox.ac.uk) |
| School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography |
SAME DREC |
Staff and students | Kate Atherton (kate.atherton@anthro.ox.ac.uk) |
| School of Geography and the Environment | SoGE DREC Chair: Prof David Thomas |
Staff and students | Gillian Willis (curec@ouce.ox.ac.uk) |
All DREC administrators and chairs have access to the DREC Network SharePoint site. The DREC Network meets termly. The SSH IDREC Secretary updates all DRECs on latest changes to CUREC forms, best practice guidance, approved procedures, and invites guest speakers on ethics-related topics, such as information security and research data management.
The SharePoint site also offers a ‘DREC library’ of useful resources, such as this reviewing guide:
The SSH IDREC encourages departments and faculties to consider setting up their own DREC. Please see the DREC template constitution, which all DRECs need to adapt for their own departments.
For further advice on how to do this, and how DRECs report to the SSH IDREC, please contact the SSH IDREC Secretary at ethics@socsci.ox.ac.uk.
