The application processes can take a long time, from a few weeks to several months, so it's wise to start early. The final assessments of these applications must be included as appendices in a master's or main thesis.
For further information about the application process at REK, Sikt, and the Internal Ethics Committee at PSI, continue reading.
To apply for approval/recommendations, you need to prepare a few documents - read more about on the left-side menu (preparatory documents for project approval).
Application to Sikt
The University of Oslo (UiO) uses Sikt for obtaining assessments and advice on privacy in research projects. All projects at UiO that handle personal data must be reported to Sikt and undergo an assessment to determine if the project meets the requirements for privacy.
Before you can submit an application to Sikt, you need to clarify several aspects of the task:
- You must prepare the project description, information sheet, interview guide (if conducting interviews), and data management plan (read more about this under preparatory documents for project approval).
- You must know what kind of data you will be collecting.
- Data classification: All data is classified into different categories based on how severe a data breach would be. At UiO, a color-coded system (Green, Yellow, Red, Black) is used. Refer to the data storage guide for information about this system.
- Consent or public interest? In most qualitative projects, it will be necessary to process personal data. In such cases, you must have a legal basis to process this data. The two most common legal bases for processing are "personal consent" or "public interest." You must clearly state in the Sikt application which of these legal bases your research leans on. Refer to Sikt's pages to find out which of these bases is best suited for your project.
- Application process:
- Use Sikt’s Reporting Form: Reporting Form for personal data in research (sikt.no)
- Here is a guide on how to fill out the reporting form for all projects (completion of the application form begins at 9:30 in the video. Note: They use the old Sikt (NSD) website. It’s in Norwegian)
- What types of data do you tell Sikt you are going to collect? The interview situation is unpredictable. You never know what the informants choose to talk about. Sikt advises that you should check off the data that you plan/have the purpose of collecting and that your interview guide addresses. Therefore, you do not need to check off everything.
- At the same time, you need to be aware that if you have not checked off a specific type of data collection, you cannot use that data even if it comes up in the interview. For example, if you have not checked off that you will collect data on participants' religious backgrounds in a project on exercise habits, and the person starts talking about it in the interview, you cannot use the information about religion in the analysis.
- If your project has received a grant, you should not report it as "external funding" in the Sikt application. External funding refers to research funding in the form of salary.
- The assessment process:
- Sikt aims to contact you within 30 days after submission. The evaluation time will depend on how complete the information you provided was. Complex projects may take longer to evaluate, while projects with fewer drawbacks may have a shorter evaluation time. See how you can reduce privacy impacts and potentially shorten the evaluation time here: https://sikt.no/vurdering-av-personvernulempe.
- Once the declaration form is submitted, you must await a response from Sikt.
- You will receive a message from Sikt when there is progress on your case, usually in the form of tips for improvement and considerations to be made in your project. Discuss with your supervisor how these considerations can be addressed in the best possible way.
- If you have made changes to the declaration form and submitted it, you must click 'confirm submission' in the message log on Sikt's website.
- When Sikt is satisfied with the application and has approved it, it will be marked as evaluated in the message inbox. "Evaluated" means that the project is considered sufficiently consider privacy and can be carried out according to the guidelines provided to Sikt, while adhering to any remarks Sikt has made on the project.
- Furthermore, there will be planned interim assessments and final assessments later in the process, but you can start data collection when the declaration form has been evaluated.
- When the project has been evaluated by Sikt, it should be automatically registered in ForskPro. If the project does not appear in ForskPro, the supervisor must register the project there.
Sikt is developing an "Automatic approval" process, where projects are approved automatically on the same day if they meet certain low-risk requirements. Read more here: Types of assessments of the declaration form.
You cannot start data collection before the evaluation from Sikt is available! If it is urgent, they encourage you to follow up or request prioritization if there are special considerations regarding deadlines.
Reporting changes to Sikt: If you change how the project handles privacy or data, you must report the change to Sikt. This is usually evaluated within about a week. For Sikt, the application is not set in stone. Even if a draft has been submitted and approved, you can still make small changes.
Application to REK
The Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) provide pre-approval for medical and health research projects. You can read more about the application process here: External approval from REK - for UiO employees.
If your project involves handling health information, you must apply for assessment from REK. What qualifies as health information? Health information includes everything covered by the Health Research Act.
It is the responsibility of the supervisor to determine whether the student should apply to REK. If you are unsure, you can request a preliminary assessment (see more information below). Students can apply to REK individually but must include a responsible supervisor in the application process. The supervisor must also approve the application at the end of the application.
For more information on whether your project qualifies as health research or not, consult the UiO REK Guide, REK's own guide "about applying to REK". NESH (The National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities) also provides information on this: here.
There may be projects where it is difficult to determine clearly whether they fall within REK's mandate. In such cases, it is best to submit a "framleggsvurdering". This is a form that is processed on an ongoing basis, and you will receive an assessment from an advisor on whether you need to submit a complete application to REK or not. If you receive an assessment stating that the project is not subject to preliminary approval, it is practical to have this document for publication or similar situations where someone may request REK's assessment
Application to The Internal Ethical Committee at PSI
You can find information about the Internet Committee and a link to the application form here.
The application can be completed in Norwegian, even though the online form is in English.
All research projects at PSI that fall outside the of REK’s mandate (i.e., are not related to health research) are recommended to be presented for assessment by the Internet Committee at PSI. It's not mandatory for all master's projects to undergo assessment by the committee. The primary responsibility for evaluating the project's need for application lies with the supervisor.
The Internal Ethical Committee does not provide formal approval of the project but offers a recommendation. This is particularly beneficial if you plan to advance the project to an article for submission to journals.
To apply for assessment from Sikt, REK, and/or the Internet Committee, you need to prepare several documents. Refer to preparatory documents for project evaluation for more information about these documents