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Approval Process

Protocol Submission Form

Postgraduate students need to prepare a research proposal according to requirements of their division and submit the proposal to review for scientific rigor and merit. If their project involves research with human participants (e.g. healthy participants or patients), data from human participants, or research animals, the proposal needs also undergo ethics review and authorization through the FHS Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or Research Animal Ethics Committee (RAEC). Once the scientific and ethical review is completed, students need to submit their research proposal along with required forms to the FHS Postgraduate Office (PGO) for approval of the project by the Faculty.

1. Prepare your research/project proposal according to divisional guidelines ( your supervisor should provide you the guidelines for a research proposal)
2. Your supervisor needs to arrange for a review of your proposal for scientific merit and rigor through two independent experts in the field of the proposed research. Your supervisor will be required to seek out these reviewers. These reviewers do not have to be UCT staff members. Please note that your supervisor or co-supervisors may not act as scientific reviewers of your proposal.
3. If you division has seminars for postgraduate students, this review process may be sufficient with sign-off from two academics not directly involved in your project.
4. Download and complete the Departmental Research Proposal Checklist (DRPC) and get signatures of your two scientific reviewers, your supervisor and other co-investigators that will be involved in your research.
5. Obtain approval from the Departmental Research Committee and Head of Department on the completed Departmental Research Proposal Checklist (DRCP) which will be submitted, together with your project proposal, for Ethical approval (if applicable) and : Submit an electronic or hard copy of the completed and signed departmental research proposal, the  FHS PGO forms to FHS Postgraduate Office for faculty approval.