Research Ethics Committee (REC)#

A Research Ethics Committee is a dedicated body within a conference that conducts ethical reviews of submissions. The committee usually consists of researchers from the community, selected to provide a broad range of perspectives and expertise. REC chairs therefore aim to recruit a diverse group of members to ensure balanced and well-informed assessments.

RECs typically handle papers that have been flagged by reviewers due to potential ethical concerns. When a paper is flagged, it is assigned to one or more REC members, sometimes based on their technical or thematic background. These members review the concerns raised, assess potential risks or harms, and may engage with the authors to clarify uncertainties. This interaction can also help authors improve their paper by making ethical considerations more explicit and transparent.

In addition to providing feedback, RECs can make recommendations to the PC chairs, including suggesting rejection in cases of serious ethical issues. However, final decisions remain with the PC chairs.

Overall, the introduction of RECs brings more structure and consistency to the ethical review process and helps the research community better identify, discuss, and address ethical challenges.