Obtaining Ethics Approval

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Guidelines for getting through the all-important (and often tedious) ethics process!

1 First Step
2 Undergraduate Research Ethics
3 Graduate or Faculty Research Ethics
4 Hospital Research Ethics
5 Animal Research Ethics

[edit] First Step

Depending on your study, you must decide where to apply for ethics approval. Decide and proceed:

Department of Psychology Ethics Review Committee (DPERC) - for Undergraduate Research (e.g. PSY299, PSY303, PSY304, PSY400)
U of T Ethics Review Office (ERO) - for Graduate or Faculty Research Ethics
Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN) - for Hospital Research Ethics (e.g. an fMRI study at Baycrest or UHN)

For more information on where to apply, check:

[edit] Undergraduate Research Ethics

Instructions and the required forms can be found here: http://psych.utoronto.ca/~peterson/ethics/ethics.htm

A typical undergrad ethics application submission requires:

Cover Sheet
Ethics Protocol Application [Guidelines | Sample]
Informed Consent Form [Guidelines | Checklist]
Debriefing Form [Checklist]
Recruitment Poster (if applicable)
Any questionnaires or surveys (if applicable)
Signature from your faculty supervisor (i.e., Adam or Eve)

Submit to the head of DPERC, Dr. Jordan Peterson (see Cover Sheet).

Congratulations! Once your ethics is approved (usually within a week or two), you can apply to use the PSY100 participant pool.

For more information on undergraduate ethics applications, check:

http://www.research.utoronto.ca/ethics/eh_undergrad_student.html

[edit] Graduate or Faculty Research Ethics

Instructions and the required forms can be found here:

http://www.research.utoronto.ca/ethics/eh_forms.html (forms and instructions)
http://www.research.utoronto.ca/ethics/eh_how_ss.html (# of copies required, ERO meeting dates)

A typical graduate or faculty ethics application will require:

Ethics Protocol Application [Guidelines | Sample]
Informed Consent Form [Guidelines | Checklist]
Debriefing Form [Checklist]
Recruitment Poster (if applicable)
Any questionnaires or surveys (if applicable)
Signature from faculty supervisor (i.e., Adam or Eve)
Signature from Department Chair, Dr. Peter Herman (go to the Psych Department office and ask; if Dr. Herman's away, Dr. Jay Pratt can sign as acting chair)

Submit to the Ethics Review Office.

Congratulations! Once your ethics is approved (usually after a few weeks), you can apply to use the PSY100 participant pool.

[edit] Hospital Research Ethics

Research to be done at U of T-affiliated hospitals (e.g. fMRI scanning at Baycrest or University Health Network) must receive ethics approval from their particular Research Ethics Board. If all testing is taking place at the hospital, and only data will remain at U of T campus, you may not require U of T ethics approval. If you do require U of T ethics approval, you can only apply after you get approval from the hospital.

The hospital-specific instructions and forms can be found here: