Box 1.

Attending a research ethics committee, Dena Khan, PPI Co-Author.

The prospect of partaking in an ethics committee was an exciting opportunity. My understanding of clinical research has allowed me to understand the importance of ensuring any form of research is ethically sound. I want to pursue psychology and psychological research so this experience was even more valuable to me. Having no clue what to expect, I found the event insightful and interesting, although it didn’t take very long! I was able to see how important the ethics approvals process is to hold researchers to account and make sure patients/participants are remaining the central focus of any study. I was reassured that our study did not prompt a lot of ethical concerns, and I felt glad to be part of a project that takes into account both [young people’s] opinion and the welfare of those involved. Being able to go to an ethics committee has furthered my interest in research, and has made me grateful for the amount of precautions put in place. However, it has also shown me how young people can be so easily involved in research and how our opinions and ideas can be used to the benefit a study as I noticed the surprise in the committee of a young person’s presence.