Plymouth Ethics Online System

Find out how to use our new online system for research ethics applications
MSc Network Systems Engineering

Introduction

The Plymouth Ethics Online System (PEOS) is a flexible web-based management system to help facilitate and streamline the ethical review process. This is a single sign on system and linked to your University account, so any applications you submit on the system will automatically assign you as the Principal Investigator on the form. 
This online ethical review application system is available to members of staff, postgraduate taught and research (PGT/PGR) students and School of Health Professions undergraduate students (stage 2 and 3 only) at the University of Plymouth. The system will help applicants submit and track their applications as well as make it easier for the Faculty Research Ethics and Integrity Committees to conduct reviews, provide feedback and approve applications.
PEOS features an automatic submission feature. This means that once you sign the form (and obtain any additional required signatures) the system will automatically submit the application on your behalf. Please note, to ensure your signature is recognised please ensure you remain logged into the system for at least 60 seconds after you sign the form to allow time for the screen to refresh. You will also receive an email confirmation that submission was successful.

Access

To access the system, please use the following links and log in with your University of Plymouth username and password (the same information you use to access your email):
Reviewing an ethics application (Faculty Research Ethics and Integrity Committee personnel only)

Updates

Updates performed to the ethics application form will be noted on the login page with the date and time of update. Please note an update was performed to the ethics application form on 16 June 2023 at 14:01 to fix an issue with the service evaluation form.
If you see "Warning: The project owner must update your project in order to submit this form. Update" on your application, any user with an application in progress on the date and time shown will need to update their form by clicking "Update" at the top of the page before it can be submitted. If you are waiting for your form to be signed by another collaborator/supervisor/director of studies, then you will need to click on the update and re-sign and submit your application. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
The next update will be on: (TBC)
 

Helpful information

Guidance on how to use the Plymouth Ethics Online System (PEOS) can be found on the University of Plymouth SharePoint site or on the help pages of the PEOS system.
Applicants can also watch a quick help tutorial which demonstrates how to submit an application.
For technical issues using the system, please contact:
For general research ethics support, please contact:
More information about each faculty/sponsor committee can be found in their respective SharePoint sites:

If you're applying from Planning and Analytics or SERIO, you will need to choose the Committee you're submitting your application to (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business) and if you are unsure, please contact the appropriate committee administrator from the list above.
 

Faculty of Health Staff, PGR, and PGT applications 

The Faculty of Health Research Ethics and Integrity Committee for Staff, PGR and PGT run a monthly cycle of submission dates and review meetings, listed below. For more information, please contact the committee administrator. Please note there is no Faculty of Health FREIC meeting in August. 
NB: If your study requires HRA and/or REC approval, please submit 10 working days before the deadline to allow time for the Sponsor team to review.
Taught Masters applications for Service Evaluations
To complete a Service Evaluation, you will need to select the ‘UoP Staff/PGR/PGT Research Ethics Application’ form. On the ‘Project Title, Status and Study Type’ page, you will be able to select Study Type: 'A Service Evaluation/Secondary data analysis'. On the ‘Research Study Approval' page, if you are unsure of which option to select, please contact the FOH Research Ethics support team on: FOHEthics@plymouth.ac.uk

Faculty of Health taught masters committee (except psychology) dates

Taught masters Submission deadline 5pm FREIC meeting date 09.30-12.30 unless otherwise stated Outcome date
Aug 23 No meeting No meeting No Meeting
Sep 23 (A) Tuesday 15/08/2023 Wednesday 06/09/2023 Wednesday 13/09/2023
Sep 23 (B) Tuesday 05/09/2023 Tuesday 26/09/2023 Tuesday 03/10/2023
Oct 23 TBC TBC TBC

Faculty of Health staff/PhD committee (except psychology) dates

Staff / PhD Submission deadline 5pm Staff / PhD FREIC meeting date 09.30–12.30 Outcome date
Aug 23 No meeting No meeting No meeting
Sep 23 (A) Tuesday 15/08/2023 Wednesday 06/09/2023 (pm) Wednesday 13/09/2023
Sep 23 (B) Tuesday 05/09/2023 Wednesday 27/09/2023 Wednesday 04/10/2023
Oct 23 TBC TBC TBC
 

Submission information

Please ensure you sign and then request all signatures within your form (Other collaborators (co-investigators)/Director of Studies/Supervisor) if required. Other collaborators external to the University will not be able to sign the form (due to single sign on authentication). Committees do not require these to review your application, but if you would like an external signatory to sign the form, then we recommend you scan their signature in as a miscellaneous document.
If you are resubmitting and have co-investigators within your form, you only need gain one of those signatures for re-submission. If you have a Director of Studies/Supervisor you will need to gain their signature.
The system features an automatic submission function, which will automatically submit your application after all required signatures are obtained. If you are signing an application, please ensure you remain logged into the system until the screen refreshes and you receive email confirmation that: 
  • your signature has been accepted, and 
  • your application has been successfully submitted.

If you do not receive an email confirmation within one hour of everyone signing the form, please perform the following:
1. Open the application and double check the form status; it should be listed as submitted or resubmitted. If the status is one of these, please email your requested signatory if you have one or FRIEC Administrator to double-check that they have received your application.
2. If the form status is listed as ‘not submitted’ or 'changes requested', then please double check:
  • that an appropriate signature has been obtained
  • that no additional blank signature boxes are listed
  • that all relevant sections have been completed 
  • that the application is not pending a mandatory update (listed in a bar at the top of the screen).
If you have performed all of these checks and the application has still not automatically submitted, please email Plymouth Ethics Online System support ethics-online-system@plymouth.ac.uk and provide your project reference number, title and a screenshot confirming these criteria and a member of the team will be able to assist you.
If you wish to make an amendment to a historical application (made prior to PEOS), then please contact your faculty research ethics and integrity committee.

Personal details information

Since the University personal profile pages were decommissioned, users have not had a way to update their personal information or add an address. This means that there are no address details being pulled through to the PEOS system. 
However, if you would like to amend this, then you can do so by updating your personal details, which can be found in the location where you log in and at the top right of the screen. 
Click on your name and choose personal details and then amend your details in the box that appears. Once saved, this will then (only) update the PEOS system PI address.
 
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Training

There are extensive guides for all users of the system available above and applicants can watch the quick help tutorial which demonstrates how to submit an application. R&I also provides training on how to use the Plymouth Ethics Online System with one to one or group training.
Please contact ethics online system support at ethics-online-system@plymouth.ac.uk to arrange a bespoke training session.
 

New grant pre-award process

The University has now switched the research grant pre-award process (encompassing project costing, peer review and approval) from paper-based to fully electronic and online.
The new tool is called Award Manager and sits within Unit4. It provides instant access to real-time data about research activities, allows for split costing between schools and departments and streamlines the approval process.
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Infonetica case study

The University of Plymouth's new ethics review system went live on 20 April 2020 and is being used by staff, taught masters and postgraduate research students. They have found the software to be intuitive, easy to use, efficient and time saving, in handling the 350–400 low to high risk ethics applications the University receives in a typical year. The new system fulfilled the requirements to provide a single repository for all review documentation as well as to assure full GDPR compliance.