This may sound like an obvious question, but should all research have a research protocol, or are protocols just limited to health research?
I'm currently working on my ethical approval for my research (based in criminology) but am confused, as some of the guidance notes for the form refer to a protocol, but at the same time it doesn't appear to be one of the required documents for submission. I've emailed the relevant people at my uni, but as it's the summer they're all on leave. Aaargh!
Any help gratefully received!

Do you mean should you be taking note of any adverse effect your research could have, or the possible effects various promises could have on your final work? If you look on various university websites, they usually have some guidelines and some even have examples, they are probably worth a look. Ethics considerations pop up where you least expect them!

Yes, the ethics form is for all that stuff - confidentiality, anonymity, permission etc. My problem is that the guidance notes for this form make reference to things like "clear statement should be in protocol regarding confidentiality" but the list of supporting documents needed for the ethics submission doesn't refer to a protocol. I'm part of a department that includes health sciences, so I was wondering whether protocols are more health based rather than a usual part of all research.

I think even if it isn't actually required for ethics, it's probably good practice to have documentation outlining step by step procedures that you're applying to your research. Firstly, it'll help focus your mind and make sure that your methodology is sound - it might help you to identify flaws/omissions that you might otherwise have missed. Secondly, when it comes the administrative things, I'm a firm believer in having a defined paper trail that shows what you did, what you didn't do, and why. It can be useful for all manner of reasons.