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SDU’s Research Ethics Committee (REC): Ethics review principles and processes

SDU strives to uphold high ethical standards in the conduct of its research.

This document outlines the research ethics review processes instilled by SDU to support the pursuit of this commitment, and the principles for the rigorous ethics reviews conduct-ed by SDU’s Research Ethics Committee.

The primary goal of the processes and principles described here is to ensure compliance with the highest standards of research ethics, whilst remaining sensitive to the needs of researchers.

The review principles should be read in conjunction with related policies such as SDU’s Open Science policy, Rules for ensuring good scientific practice, and Declaration on academic freedom, and in conjunction with relevant national and international policies such as the Danish and the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.

REC’s composition and organizational anchoring, tasks, and procedures are described in more detail in the Research Ethics Committee’s Terms of Reference.

Purpose of the Research Ethics Committee (REC)

SDU’S Research Ethics Committee (REC) is established to support researchers in con-ducting ethical research. This task is pursued by providing guidance, resources, and sup-port on research ethics issues, and by issuing research ethics approvals based on a thor-ough review of projects.

  • The REC has two primary functions:

    1. Procedural: The REC is responsible for reviewing research proposals and issuing ethics approvals. Researchers may need REC approval for various purposes, such as publication, funding, or institutional compliance.

    2. Formative: Beyond its procedural function, the REC plays a formative role in support-ing researchers. The REC helps researchers identify potential ethical issues in their studies and provides recommendations to address these concerns. This formative role is aimed at promoting ethical research practices and enhancing the overall quality of research.

    The committee takes a dialogue-based approach in the execution of both tasks. Any comments arising from the committee’s review of a research project are communicated to the relevant researcher either as suggestions that the researcher may consider in the further planning and execution of the project, or as requirements that must be fulfilled before the REC can issue an approval of the project.

  • Researchers at SDU have the option to apply to the REC for a resesarch ethics approval of their project. While it is not mandatory, obtaining REC approval can be beneficial for several reasons:

    1. Publication Requirements: Many academic journals and conferences require evi-dence of ethics approval for research projects, especially for projects involving human subjects. Securing REC approval can facilitate the publication process and enhance the credibility of the research.

    2. Funding Opportunities: Some funding agencies and grant programs require ethics approval as a condition for funding.

    3. Ethical Guidance: The REC provides guidance on ethical issues and strives to help researchers identify and mitigate potential ethics issues. This support can improve the overall quality and integrity of the research.

  • The REC strives to take a holistic approach in its assessments. The evaluation principles mentioned below are essential, but the list should not be considered exhaustive. For each project, an assessment is made of which principles are relevant to the specific case and how these principles, along with any other considerations, should be weighed:

    • Respect for Persons: Ensuring that the autonomy of all research participants is re-spected and that informed consent is obtained.
    • Beneficence: Maximizing potential benefits while minimizing potential harms to partici-pants.
    • Justice: Ensuring that the benefits and burdens of research are distributed fairly among all groups in society.
    • Risk Minimization: Identifying and mitigating potential risks to participants, ensuring that risks are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits.
    • Confidentiality: Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of research participants' data.
    • Recognition of research: Protection of the university’s reputation and the general recognition of the value and relevance of research.

    It is not REC’s task to address the prioritization of research areas or the scientific quality of individual projects. However, REC may point out if the review of a specific project points to research prioritization or quality issues that are clearly ethically problematic.

    The legal assessment of research projects, including the evaluation of the project’s data processing, falls under RIO Legal Services and is not part of REC’s research ethics review. However, REC may consider and point out broader research ethics issues related to a project’s data collection and processing. This could be the case, for example, when an otherwise lawful data collection and processing practice contradicts fundamental ethical principles, violates reasonable expectations of privacy, or poses a risk of stigmatization of individuals or groups.

The Research Ethics Committee’s composition and working methods

All faculties as well as SDU’s central administration are represented in the Research Ethics Committee, which also includes lay representation. The faculties’ representatives are ap-pointed by the deans. The committee’s chair is appointed by the RI Council.

As a general rule, two committee members are appointed for each research ethics review, with special responsibility for pre-reviewing and presenting the case as a basis for REC’s discussion. One of these is a REC member from the academic field (faculty) to which the project belongs. However, all projects are discussed by the full Committee, with the excemption of projects eligible for fast track review.

As a general rule, REC does not review projects that have already received or are to receive a research ethics review from another body, such as The Regional Committees on Health Research Ethics. However, this principle may be waived in certain cases if needed, for example due to specific requirements from the funding body.

The Research Ethics Committee’s composition and working methods are described in more detail in the Committee’s Terms of Reference and related documents.

Legal Requirements for Certain Types of Research

While applying for REC ethics approval is optional, it is important to note that certain types of research are legally required to obtain ethics approval from The Regional Commit-tees on Health Research Ethics. The legislation governing this requirement is known as "Komiteloven," which determines the types of research that fall under this category. Researchers conducting studies that fall within the scope of Komiteloven must obtain ap-proval from The Regional Committees on Health Research Ethics to comply with legal requirements.

 

Last Updated 20.03.2026