Guidance for undertaking research outside the United Kingdom

Researchers conducting research abroad, or part of an international collaboration, should be aware of the different civil, legal, financial, and cultural conditions when working overseas and are expected to refer to international guidelines and conform to relevant local regulations for the country or countries where the research is taking place.

It is expected that the research will also comply with the University research ethics policies and guidelines as well as other relevant university policies and procedures, such as relating to insurance arrangements, and risk assessment, etc.

Students should discuss proposed research outside of the UK with their supervisory team. Supervisors should aid students to complete risk assessments and access any guidance that is only accessible on staff webpages.

Over-riding principles

The following are the principles that supervisors, project designers and Ethics Committees must consider when designing and approving student and staff research projects, which are to be undertaken outside the United Kingdom:

1) The health and safety of the person or persons undertaking the project and of the subjects of the research project should be a primary consideration.

2) Any legal liabilities and responsibilities that could arise out of the research project by reason of the local legal jurisdiction in which the project is to be conducted.

3) Researchers and Project teams must take account of cultural sensitivities and cultural differences and the extent to which these may impact on the research and its viability and validity.

4) Issues relating to the access to data sources must also be carefully considered. This is especially important for research projects that require access to children and vulnerable adults but must be considered in all situations where the data sources are human subjects. The issues to be considered by project teams include the circumstances in which data subjects might be coerced into participating in the project. Researchers and Project teams must also consider the question of informed consent and the way in which this is obtained from the data subject in jurisdictions, which, because of cultural differences, approach the matter of informed consent differently from the approach taken in the United Kingdom.

5) Language issues especially in relation to the collection, recording and reporting of data. It is important to emphasise that English is the language that must be used for reporting data. It is the responsibility of the researcher or project team to provide sufficient evidence, where the collecting and recording is in another language, of accurate translation. This may, for example, involve independent translation into English of consent forms, data collection instruments or other documentation used in the research. Ultimately it is essential for quality assurance purposes that the research supervisor and external examiners are able to verify all aspects of the research.

6) All data collected in relation to the research project must be secured at all times to ensure confidentiality. This is especially important during periods when the data or the media on which the data is stored is in transit.

7) A document that contains a Risk Assessment must accompany all research protocols that entail research outside of the United Kingdom. 

  • Researchers who are nationals of other countries than the UK should follow the same processes and policies, even if they are doing the research in their native country. While researchers might be aware of the risks, they might be more willing to accept them or have a false sense of safety.
  • Who are you? How are you going to be perceived by the overseas community?
  • Can your background, gender, beliefs, or status affect the research, research participants, or your safety?
  • Is there any risk of harm to you due to the research methods being used or topic being researched?
  • Do you have a support plan for yourself here in the UK, and locally, to deal with any difficult situations? For guidance on safety when working in unfamiliar environments see Code of Practice for the Safety of Social Researchers.
  • For research in resource-poor overseas settings please see the Global Code of Conduct.
Local Legislation

All countries have their own legislation which you must comply with.

Please note that while abroad you still need to comply with university policies and if you are a British citizen, UK law, e.g. Bribery Act 2010.

Be aware of local customs, traditions and practices as your behaviour may be seen as improper, hostile or even illegal, e.g. requirement for carrying personal identification, dress code, alcohol consumption, smoking, jaywalking, etc. There may be serious penalties for breaking a law, including deportation or imprisonment.

For specific information on local requirements contact consular services of the relevant country.

Research Permissions

Do you need research clearance from the government or local organization? This is not the same as local ethics approval. This might be required even if the researcher is a national of that country. Some countries mandate this, e.g. Tanzania.

  • Permit for field studies - Field studies should be conducted in accordance with local legislation and may require specific licences or permissions, e.g. excavation permit.
  • Export/import licence - Often licenses are required for import or export of military, dual-use goods and technology, artworks, plants and animals, medicines and chemicals. See guidance on:
Visas

Do you need a travel visa?  Is a Research Visa required in the country to conduct research? This is different from a Tourist Visa.

Travel Policy

As part of the University International Travel Policy, there is a Risk Assessment template in place for overseas travel; this must be completed for every member of staff undertaking overseas travel and for each journey, to ensure the full account has been taken of any risks associated with the work required, and to allow mitigation and/or control of those risks.  This will be required as part of the travel arrangements. 

Risk & Safety

Have you thought about potential risks to you and your participants and how they will be managed?

Has your risk assessment been approved?

See Guidance for Research Involving Off-Site and/or Lone Working Lone Working

Insurance

The University has Business Travel Insurance for staff and students who are normally resident in the UK. No individual trip should exceed 12 months. You may not be covered if going to your home country.

  • Health - Do you have individual medical insurance? If your trip is longer than 12 months you may need additional insurance.
  • Travel - Do you have travel insurance? Have you registered your trip?
  • Equipment - Are you bringing any equipment that might need to be covered?
  • Research - Some types of studies require research insurance, e.g. some interventional and clinical studies.
Travel Safety

Check the British Foreign Commonwealth Office website for travel advice, both before and during your stay. See advice for the specific area of the country you are planning to travel to as there might be different local levels of risk. Travel safety will be considered if you are applying for ethics approval.

Different levels of advice:

  • Green - Check the Foreign Travel Advice before traveling for potential risks.  Check the neighbouring areas, e.g. will you travel through a red area to get to the green area?
  • Amber - Advice against all but essential travel. Carefully consider the risks. Research projects based in the areas marked as amber will likely not get approved for research done by undergraduate and masters students.
  • Red - Advice against all travel. Please note that research in such areas is considered highly risky and will only be approved on a case-by-case basis. It is likely that applications only from very experienced researchers will be approved.
Health Risks

Please check TravelHeathPro for information on potential health risks, including current outbreaks, food and water hygiene information.

  • Immunisations - Immunisations may be required in advance of the trip. Some immunizations must be administered weeks in advance to be effective.

Your personal health history - Consider what health care is available and how to access it. Do you have a pre-existing health condition? How will this be managed? Medical supplies may be subject to different medical legislations or supply constraints, e.g. codeine containing drugs are banned in some countries. There may be serious penalties for breaking a law, including deportation or imprisonment

Local contacts

Local collaborators/partners help bridge the cultural differences.

Do you have local collaborators or do you need to find a local contact?

It is important to establish balanced and fair benefit sharing with local communities/ researchers - see below for more information.

Access & benefits

Access by researchers to any biological or agricultural resources, human biological materials, traditional knowledge, should be subject to the free and prior informed consent of the owners or custodians. See Global Code of Conduct.

If you want to access such resources you need to comply with relevant regulations, find out more on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing webpage. 

Publishing risks

Are there any risk involved in publishing the results of the research? Consider if:

  • The authors/ participants could be at risk of a backlash or personal attack from individuals or groups, such as activists or ‘hate’ groups., e.g. controversial topics.
  • The results of research could be taken and used by others with the intent of causing harm, e.g. biomedical research being used to create biological weapons, technology used to restrict civil/ human rights or censorship.  
Open access

Are you planning to publish your results? See our Open Access Policy for guidance.