How long does it take to receive ethics clearance?
Processing by the DERC Officer can take between one day to one week. Once you inititate an application in the Kuali system the ORE # will be issued to the application. Revisions requested by the Reviewer should be submitted via the Kuali system. Please ensure that uploaded documents are in the correct sections (eg. recruitment scripts in the recruitment section).
The initial ethics review will normally require up to four weeks once your application has been submitted. Projects that make use of participants outside of the University of Waterloo and/or those that pose more than minimal risk to potential participants are referred to the HREB (Human Research Ethics Board) for ethics review. This process can take four to six weeks since the Board meets monthly. HREB meets in the third week of each month (except August). Applications for HREB review need to be submitted to ORE approximately two weeks prior to the meeting. The precise dates are provided on the ORE website.
What do I do about revised materials requested?
Revised materials must be submitted via the Kual system for final clearance. If revisions to the submitted materials are requested please 'replace' the previous documents. If revisions were requested to the original application, make the necessary changes in the appropriate sections.
Can I make changes to my study procedures after it has ethics clearance?
Yes, but changes to your study once it has received ethics clearance are called amendments. These are processed through the DERC Officer. Select the 'amend' button in Kuali to make the necessary changes and submit to be reviewed. Initial submissions must be done by the Principal Investigator.
Only submit amendments for a study one at a time. The previous amendment must receive approval before another amendment can be submitted. Other actions, such as Renewal, will not be possible if an amendment is pending.
Try to consider all the procedures necessary when you first submit a research ethics application. For example, if you know there is a chance you will be running participants initially for participation credit and then later will switch to other forms of remuneration, then indicate both types of reimbursement in your research ethics application. Be sure to include two versions of the recruitment script, information consent letter and feedback letter. This will save you having to submit an amendment form later and waiting for ethics clearance. To assist you in determining whether a amendment is appropriate for the change you propose versus a new application form, refer to the set of frequently asked questions on the ORE website.
Note: If you are using REG/Sona participants, you can run participation-for-pay and participation-for-credit studies simultaneously. Just make sure that you disqualify the other version of the study when setting up the study on Sona.
Related ethical issues
How do I know if my study uses deception?
In some cases it is quite obvious that you are not being completely upfront with your participants (e.g., you have provided a false cover story). However, according to ORE guidelines, it is also considered deception when you do not provide your participants with complete details of the purpose of your study. Many researchers do not want participants to know about the hypotheses they are testing in order to prevent biased responding. This is a legitimate reason to withhold such information, but it is considered a deception study.
In studies in which deception is used, researchers must conduct a debriefing process before study participants leave the lab. During the debriefing, the nature and rationale for use of deception is explained and participants are asked if they have any questions or concerns. Following debriefing, participants are asked to provide their written consent for use of their data (using the Post Debriefing Re-consent Form). A Feedback Sheet is given to each participant that outlines the details provided during the oral debriefing process. Note that the Feedback Sheet must include the title of the study at the top of the page and normally, a couple of references related to the study at the bottom of the page. Copies of some related sample documents are available on the ORE website.
How many credits is my study worth?
In-lab studies drawing participants from the REG/Sona credit pool are required by the ORE to grant one-half (0.5) a REG/Sona credit for each 30 minutes (or portion thereof) that a participant spends participating in a study. Thus, if your study is 0-30 minutes long, it is worth 0.5 REG/Sona credits; if it is 31-60 minutes long, it is worth 1.0 REG/Sona credits; if the study is 60-90 minutes long it is worth 1.5 REG/Sona credits. Please see the REG policies for further information.
Online studies drawing participants from the REG/Sona credit pool are required by the ORE to grant one-quarter (0.25) a REG/Sona credit for each 15 minutes (or portion thereof) that it is expected a participant will spend participating in the study. Thus, if your study is to take 0-15 minutes to complete, it is worth 0.25 REG/Sona credits; 16-30 minutes, it is worth 0.5 REG/Sona credits; 31-45 minutes, it is worth 0.75 REG/Sona credits; 46-60 minutes, it is worth 1.0 REG/Sona credits, and so on. Please see the REG policies for further information.
Can REG help me with my Ethics application?
The DERC Officer/REG Coordinator is available to assist with ethics applications. It is recommended that you arrange an appointment. In some cases the DERC Officer/REG Coordinator may advise you to contact the ORE for further clarification.