This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 127). Three submitted protocol amendments were presented for consideration of REC action. JG submitted a change in methodology, ST a project extension, and MJ wished to extend recruitment to include children and young people.

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 108). It concerned the supervision of Simon Shaw, a senior radiographer undertaking an MSc, whose research focused on the professional and parental response to fetal tissue abnormalities.

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 18). Rowena Jones is an obstetrician working in a busy hospital for women. Her research focuses on changes in women's brains during pregnancy1. Rowena plans to use magnetic resonance imaging to record images of the brains of women in the second and third trimesters and after birth at 6 and 24 weeks. Her sample consists of two groups of healthy women with uncomplicated and singleton pregnancies, the (...) first primigravid and the second multiparous. There will be a minimum of five and a maximum of ten women in each group. (shrink)

Researching one's patients, colleagues or students poses a number of challenges for researchers. The example below highlights some of the assumptions that practitioners may make and the pitfalls that researchers may encounter.

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review ; 1: 134). It concerned the design of a randomized controlled trial to examine dietary practices among South Asian women during pregnancy.

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 68). MJ's research focuses on those patients with brain damage following trauma such as a road traffic accident. She wants to find out about their experiences of daily life once they have been discharged from hospital. She plans to use a phenomenological approach in which each participant will be asked to take part in a series of in-depth interviews, via email, over a period of about two (...) years. These interviews will allow her to compare participants' experiences in different parts of the UK. MJ has a research partner in Auckland; the two of them are planning a similar series of interviews in New Zealand to allow for comparison between participants' experiences in the two countries. (shrink)

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 106–107). It concerned an observational study, using video, of patient safety procedures in the theatre transfer bay. The lead researcher would conduct the study in his own department, a neighbouring NHS Trust and a local independent hospital.

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 53). John Harris is investigating the effectiveness of a new regime for the treatment rheumatoid arthritis. His role involves asking patients to fill out a questionnaire that normally takes about 35 minutes to complete. The case study outlines three events: a patient whose eyesight is poor, another who cannot read and a receptionist who is discovered reading some of the completed questionnaires.

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 160). DS is researching the experiences of black Caribbean and black African people who use mental health services. The mental healthcare organization serves a diverse catchment area and senior members of staff are keen to show that they are taking the views of black services users seriously. They have, therefore appointed DS to undertake a three-year research project about black people's experiences in the catchment area. DS (...) is planning to survey statutory and voluntary organizations to map the services they provide and then use focus groups to ascertain the views and experiences of users and carers. The aim is to identify what they find most helpful, what is not helpful and how services could be improved to become more culturally-competent. (shrink)

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 62). It concerned an investigation of the experiences of black African people, who are HIV positive, in the UK NHS.

This case study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 28). It concerned a new approach to the management of asthma in children in which there was random allocation of hospital admissions to either the untested treatment ‘B’ or the standard treatment ‘A’.

This study appeared in full in the previous issue of Research Ethics Review : 120). RB works in the field of substance abuse where his main expertise focuses on illicit drugs. He plans to investigate, in as many countries as possible, the extent to which dealers dilute or ‘cut’ drugs, in order to increase profit margins. His methodology is entirely internet based. An advertisement, placed on a number of internet forums, will include a link to a separate web page containing (...) an anonymous questionnaire that can be filled in on-line. On completion responses will be transferred, automatically, to a programme on a secure server which will then analyse the data and send it on to RB. (shrink)

This study appeared in full in the last issue of Research Ethics Review : 30). AJ has been commissioned to investigate ways to improve access to health services by homeless people living on the streets. She plans to use a series of focus groups to survey homeless people's views and experiences and has formed links with a number of voluntary organizations that provide services for street dwellers. She has been advised that to help empower homeless people to make changes in (...) their lives, those who take part in projects are usually offered a small sum, £5.00, as a way of indicating that their time is considered valuable. It has been recommended that AJ does the same. (shrink)

Sheryl Swoopes is an African American woman and a celebrity in the US Women’s National Basketball Association. In 2005, she announced she was in a seven-year relationship with a woman and received a six figure endorsement deal with a lesbian cruise line. Swoopes was also branded as a mother and married to a man — inferring heterosexuality. The article uses the ‘coming out’ to look at the interconnections of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, and celebrity identities. Using discourse analysis the (...) article examines both academic and popular discourse to raise the question: ‘Is Sheryl Swoopes a lesbian?’ When can she self-identify as a lesbian and become an insider in the queer community? The article argues for feminists to see oppressions as multiplicative, rather than using the adding-on approach. Identifying celebrity as a capitalist identity, the article shows the challenges of identity and discourse and how they continue to frame our theological method. (shrink)

The Association of Research Ethics Committees is one of the leading providers of training and education for members of Research Ethics Committees. The introduction of the research governance strategy and the increasing complexity of ethical review place great demands on research ethics committee members that in turn creates challenges for training providers. This paper presents the outcome of an audit of REC members' views about training. Findings demonstrate that REC members are not a homogenous group. Several distinct sub-groups, each with (...) particular training needs emerged. All showed a preference for short, easily accessible events in which there were opportunities for discussion. (shrink)