Policies, Procedures and Guidelines
As part of the university's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of ethics, rigour, and integrity in all its research, we have collated our key research related policies, procedures and guidelines below.
This one-stop-shop is designed as a support for our researchers, making accessing relevant guidance faster and easier. If you can't find what you are looking for, please contact the Research Office via researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk
Content Accordions
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Data Protection and Data Management
The Data Protection Act (DPA) aims to ensure personal privacy, by giving individuals rights with regards to information about themselves and putting responsibilities on organisations who process this information.
University Data Protection and Disposal Policy
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Funding
Bids and Funding
Our Project Development Managers provide support to identify research opportunities and funded projects.
Working with colleagues to respond to research calls, the Project Development Managers also undertake horizon scanning for funding opportunities and manage access to Research Professional which provides a comprehensive guide to sources of funding for research.
Research Development Awards
The University offers academic staff the opportunity to apply for funding via one Research Development Award (RDA) per academic year. The RDA is in place to help academic staff form productive external research collaborations and to generate outputs from research. Applications may be from individuals or from groups of colleagues (with one colleague as the lead applicant).
Wrexham University staff on academic or academic related contracts, post-doctoral research assistants/ research assistants and postgraduate research students are all eligible to apply for a Research Development Award.
Find out more about eligible/ ineligible costs and the application process:
Alternative Guide to Funding
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding is all about alternative sources of funding - especially charities - which can make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any student regardless of subject or nationality. Find out more.
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Open Access Research
Wrexham University is committed to ensuring that the outputs of research (in any medium) are as accessible as possible. In this context, ‘Open Access’ means the availability of research outputs via the internet, free of charge and without legal or technical barriers to use. The University’s research repository is our main route to Open Access.
Open Access to your Research Outputs
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Postgraduate Research Students
Our awarding body for MPhil/ PhD degrees is the University of Chester, signposting to key guidance documents therefore encompasses both Wrexham University and University of Chester (UoC) documents.
Administration Forms (including Thesis Deposit and Extension to Registration)
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Research Committee
Research committee is a committee of Academic Board, in place to support Academic Board in its responsibilities for research across the University, including the development of relevant policies and procedures.
Research Committee Meeting Dates 2023/24
October 2023 January 2024 April 2024 June 2024 Research Committee Terms of Reference Membership
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Research Excellence
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The Research Excellence Framework
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality of research in UK universities. It is jointly run by Research England, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland.
Equality Impact Assessment April 2021
The Wrexham Research Information System
The Wrexham Research Information System (WRIS) provides a single source of publishable information that can be used to showcase research at the university to help grow the professional identity of our research community.
ORCiD
ORCiD enables transparent and trustworthy connections between researchers, their contributions, and their affiliations by providing a unique, persistent identifier for individuals to use as they engage in research.
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Research Integrity & Ethics
Ethics
Research Ethics Overview and Supporting Documents
Policy and Procedures
Potential Adverse Environmental Impact Research Ethics Procedure
Research Ethics Policy
University of Chester Ethical Approval for PGR Thesis ProjectsResearch Ethics Approval procedure for Research Conducted outside the UK
Research Ethics Procedure for work carried out with Animals
Research Ethics Procedure for work carried out with Human Remains
University Research Ethics Appeal ProcedureIntegrity
Annual Research Integrity Statement 24/25
Annual Research Integrity Statement 23/24
Annual Research Integrity Statement 22/23
University of Chester Academic and Research Integrity Policy
Passport Process (NHS Research)
- Research Institutes, Centres, and Groups at Wrexham
- Research Misconduct
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Research Project Communication
Communicating research may seem daunting, labour intensive and somewhat challenging at times, particularly if the research is complex, variable and likely to span a number of years. It can be difficult to identify the key concepts and anticipated impact of the research, which are key to effectively communicating to various interested parties.
However, planning for and engaging with communication for the research lifecycle has many benefits:
Reputation
Colleagues, peers, students and the wider education community being well informed of research activities and outcomes enhances academic standing and future research opportunities.Public engagement with non-academic communities can assist with the ‘real world impact’ of research. It can garner support for the research aims and anticipated outcomes and it can also widen the pool of potential participants.
Relationships
Interested parties having knowledge and understanding of research undertakings helps expand networks and collaboration potentials. It may also open doors to an array of opportunities such as guest speaking, panel roles and advisory appointments.Influence
Effectively communicating research can enable policy makers and key influential figures to be reached and engaged, providing opportunity to shape and influence policies.Visibility
Sharing research aims, objectives, methods, intended outcomes and the potential for impact beyond academia can help ‘get the message out there’. It can support the research culture within the department, faculty or wider institution and it helps provide evidence for external scrutiny.
Funding
Being able to successfully convey a research project can help secure funding as it enables those awarding the funding to clearly understand the research and potential impact. Communication for the entirety of the research alongside effective dissemination can also support future funding opportunities.Find out more in the below guidance document.
- Research Strategies
- Trusted Research
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UK Initiatives Relevant to Staff Engaged in Research
The Researcher Development Concordat
The Researcher Development Concordat
The Researcher Development Concordat Explained
Vitae
Wrexham University is a member of Vitae, a leader in supporting the professional development of researchers. Based upon Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework, we offer a comprehensive training and development opportunities throughout the academic year including the Confident Researcher.
- Visiting Academic Staff
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Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
Wrexham University Statement on Responsible Research Assessment
Introduction
Wrexham University's vision is to be a world leading modern civic university, regionally and globally engaged, delivering skills and impactful research which drive economic growth and innovation for the well-being of current and future generations. By 2030, we aspire to achieve excellence in the quality, relevance, and impact of our interdisciplinary research and enterprise, with a focus on successful innovation and transformation. The university is dedicated to fostering and encouraging staff engagement in research and scholarship while advancing our overall research capacity and impact within and beyond the institution. We need to monitor the university's progress at all levels in accurate, equitable, and understandable ways.
We recognise that research metrics can be useful tools for tracking our progress in certain circumstances, shaped by practices in different disciplines. This statement reflects our commitment to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). It aligns with other key initiatives in this area, such as the Leiden Manifesto for Research Metrics and The Metric Tide report. Our approach is founded on the principle of responsible research assessment, and we are committed to avoiding the use of journal-based metrics as surrogates for research quality in decision-making and in evaluating individual researchers' contributions.
Commitment
Wrexham University is dedicated to promoting an inclusive and interdisciplinary culture of research and enterprise. This environment is designed to develop the capacity of both staff and students to achieve excellence, drive innovation, and facilitate transformation. The university recognises the valuable contributions of all academic staff, acknowledging that every research activity is important and that each member of the academic team plays a role in enhancing the institution's research portfolio.
Research assessments at the university may be informed by various processes, including the Workload Allocation Model (WAM), Performance Development Reviews (PDR), recruitment and promotion processes, decisions regarding internal and external funding, resource allocation, and the university's submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The university is committed to ensuring that these decisions are based on qualitative, peer-reviewed, expert academic judgments. Quantitative indicators will be used transparently and in context but will never be treated as standalone measures of research quality.
DORA | Recommendations for research institutions
· Be explicit about the criteria used to reach hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions, clearly highlighting, especially for early-stage investigators, that the scientific content of a paper is much more important than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it was published.
· For the purposes of research assessment, consider the value and impact of all research outputs (including datasets and software) in addition to research publications, and consider a broad range of impact measures including qualitative indicators of research impact, such as influence on policy and practice.
DORA | Recommendations for researchers
· When involved in committees making decisions about funding, hiring, tenure, or promotion, make assessments based on scientific content rather than publication metrics
· Wherever appropriate, cite primary literature in which observations are first reported rather than reviews in order to give credit where credit is due
· Use a range of article metrics and indicators on personal/supporting statements, as evidence of the impact of individual published articles and other research outputs
· Challenge research assessment practices that rely inappropriately on Journal Impact Factors and promote and teach best practice that focuses on the value and influence of specific research outputs
