Daystar University Institutional Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (DU-ISERC)

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Guidelines

Proposal Submission Guidelines

The Daystar University Institutional Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (DU- ISERC) receives research proposals uploaded on Thesis Management System (TMS) using the below link:

All researches must obtain approval from DU-ISERC or any other Ethics Review Board/Committee accredited by National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI).

An application for review of the Ethics of proposed research should be submitted by a qualified researcher responsible for the ethical and scientific conduct of the study. This is done on a prescribed application form which can be downloaded from TMS website: https://tms.daystar.ac.ke/

These requirements will include the following:

  • The application form and its attachments
  • The documents should be written in English [documents written in other languages should be translated into English] at the expense of the applicant.

There shall be a fee for the review of every proposal which shall be determined from time to time by Daystar University ISERC. The current charges are as follows:-

DU-ISERC Approved Rates

Programme Normal Review Period Expedited Review Period
Members (Ksh) External (Ksh) Members (Ksh) External (Ksh)
PhD 6,250 7,500 11,250 13,500
Masters 2,500 3,750 5,000 7,500
Undergraduate 1,000 2,500 2,000 4,000
Other Researchers (Daystar) 7,500 12,500 11,250 18,750
Institutions (Daystar) 25,000 37,500 37,500 37,500

Payment is to be made to the ISERC Research center and a copy of the receipt attached to the application form.

Payment of review fees can be done through:-

  • Mpesa (Preferred)
    ▪ Lipa na mpesa Paybill
    ▪ Business no. 209800
    ▪ Account no. ISERC followed by your name

All complete applications for normal reviews will be reviewed within twenty-one (21) working days of receipt by the reviewer.

All complete applications for expedited reviews shall be reviewed within 7 working days of receipt by the reviewer.

  • Applicants are advised that DU-ISERC may subject proposals to a plagiarism check. Proposals that register a similarity index of more than 18% (for students) and 15% (for non-students) will require revision by the Author before being accepted by DU-ISERC for ethical review.
  • The acknowledgement of the application and a reference number is communicated to the applicant after the DU-ISERC scheduled meeting as indicated in the annual calender.
  • Where the DU-ISERC requests supplementary information or changes to documents from the applicant, such information should be provided to the ISERC within 14 working days of such request.
  • Where clarification is sought and Researchers fail to respond within 14 days, DU-ISERC will send a reminder and allow a further 7 working days period for response. Beyond this period, the application file will be closed.
  • A Researcher may be required to appear before DU-ISERC. In such a situation, sufficient notice will be given to the applicant.
  • DU-ISERC meets every first Friday of every Month except January.
  • The decision of DU-ISERC on a project proposal is communicated to the Principal Investigator of the project through the Secretary of the ISERC.
  • All communications to the DU-ISERC concerning project proposals should be directed to the Chairperson of the DU-ISERC via email at duiserc@daystar.ac.ke.
Meetings Meeting Dates of the DU-ISERC Deadlines for Proposal Submission
1 February 1st Week of January
2 March 1st Week of February
3 April 1st Week of March
4 May 1st Week of April
5 June 1st Week of May
6 July 1st Week of June
7 August 1st Week of July
8 September 1st Week of August
9 October 1st Week of September
10 November 1st Week of October
11 December 1st Week of November

11.2.8. The approval of the research proposal shall be for a period of one year, at the end of which the Principal Investigator shall submit a progress report following which the approval may be extended if necessary.

Please note that the same details and conditions are contained in the Verdict letter issued to the Principal Investigator which states:

"The approval period for the research is between [date of approval] to [approval lapse date] after which the ethical approval lapses. Should you wish to continue with the research after the lapse, you will be required to apply for an extension from DU-ISERC at half the review charges."