The Research Office supports and safeguards research at Global Studies University. We maintain the University’s ethics review process, uphold standards of research integrity, and provide the infrastructure and guidance that faculty and students need to carry out rigorous, responsible research.
The Office is led by Dr Maha Bashri, Director of Research and Programming.
Ethics Review
All research involving human participants at Global Studies University must be reviewed and approved by the Research Office before any data collection begins. Review protects participants, supports researchers, and ensures that research carried out at the University meets recognized ethical standards.
When you need ethics review
You need ethics review if your project involves human participants — for example, interviews, surveys, focus groups, observation, or the use of identifiable personal information.
Not every activity that involves people requires review. Coursework whose primary purpose is teaching or training, rather than producing new research findings, may fall outside its scope. The Research Office — not the individual researcher — makes this determination. If you are unsure, contact us before you begin; where review is not required, we will issue a written Not Human Subjects Research determination for your records.
How the review process works
Complete the Ethics Review Application (RO-ERA-01) and the Informed Consent Form (RO-ICF-01 in English, or RO-ICF-01أ in Arabic).
Email your completed application to research@gsu.ac.ae.
The Research Office logs your application and confirms receipt.
The Ethics Review Committee reviews your application, using expedited review where the project qualifies.
You receive one of three outcomes: an approval letter, a request for revisions, or a Not Human Subjects Research determination.
Most applications are reviewed within 7 working days* of a complete submission. Submitting early, and making sure your application is complete, helps avoid delays.
*to be confirmed by the Research Office before publication.
The Ethics Review Committee
The Ethics Review Committee is the University body responsible for reviewing research involving human participants. It assesses each application for participant consent, privacy and data protection, potential risks, and the overall soundness of the research design.
Please note: Approvals issued under the Research Office’s current framework are granted for term paper use only. Certification through the CITI Program is required before any doctoral dissertation fieldwork begins. Further details will be published once the University’s CITI Program license is in place.
Forms & Templates
The forms below are the documents you submit to the Research Office for ethics review. Download the version you need, complete it, and email it to research@gsu.ac.ae.
RO-ERA-01 — Ethics Review Application
The main form for requesting review of a project that involves human participants.
RO-ICF-01 — Informed Consent Form (English)
Template for obtaining the informed consent of research participants.
RO-ICF-01 — Informed Consent Form (Arabic)
Arabic-language version of the consent form, for participants who prefer it.
If you are not sure which forms apply to your project, contact the Research Office before you submit.
Research Integrity & Policies
Research integrity is the foundation of credible scholarship. The Research Office sets and supports the standards that govern how research is conducted, recorded, and published at Global Studies University. As a newly established institution, the University is developing its full research integrity framework; the areas below are central to that work.
Responsible conduct of research — honest, accurate, and accountable practice at every stage of a project.
Authorship and publication ethics — fair attribution of credit and transparent reporting of results.
Academic honesty and originality — the University uses Turnitin, integrated through Canvas, to support originality checking for student and faculty work.
Conflict of interest — identifying and managing situations where personal interests could affect research decisions.
Research misconduct — clear procedures for raising and addressing concerns about the conduct of research.
Detailed policies are published as they are finalized. For guidance in the meantime, contact the Research Office.
