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All research involving human participants requires review and approval by the relevant 91ÑÇÉ« Research Ethics Board prior to commencement of research activities - this includes research led by students but with whom Faculty members collaborate.

Protocol Submission for Ethics Review

Update – Launch of YU Ethics Review Platform:

91ÑÇɫ’s Office of Research Ethics is excited to announce the launch of YU Ethics Review a user-friendly online system for submitting research ethics review protocols. This new platform replaces our 14-year-old legacy system and officially launched on January 20, 2026, for all research involving human participants for faculty research and thesis/dissertation student research.

Before submitting your protocol, please review all relevant guidelines and templates available on the Office of Research Ethics website.

Faculty conducting research involving human participants must submit their ethics applications through the online ethics review system, YU Ethics Review. Informed Consent Form templates can be found on the Human Participants in Research section of the Office of Research Ethics website.

For guidance on using the online system, visit the Research Ethics Portal. If you experience any issues accessing the system, please contact oretech@yorku.ca for support.

Initial application review: Expect the review feedback to be sent to you 25 to 30 business days after your application has been submitted for review.

Revisions: Expect the review of your revisions to take 10 to 15 business days after being submitted for review.

Modifications: Expect the review of amendments to take 10 to 15 business days after being submitted for review.

These times may increase during peak periods such as in March, June, and November.

This duration may also vary if the application is incomplete when received.

While ethics review is not required at the application stage (with some exceptions), as research funds will not be administered without ethics approval in place, it is advisable to submit protocols for review well in advance of award notification dates.

Certain research contexts require additional ethics review processes and approvals.  Specifically, but not limited to, research conducted in educational institutions, hospitals and/or medical clinics, research conducted in foreign countries and research conducted in, on or about First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities all require additional ethics review processes and/or approvals to be obtained.

Guidelines are in place to assist researchers in navigating the additional ethics review requirements.  Please consult the relevant Guidelines or contact the ORE at ore@yorku.ca for further assistance.

Ethics protocols are reviewed by the relevant ethics committee through a consensus-based process. If consensus cannot be reached, the majority decision will be communicated to the researcher, along with a notation of any dissenting opinions.

Researchers will receive committee decisions electronically, either as a summary of comments requiring clarification or revisions to application documents, or a certificate of ethics approval.

If revisions or clarifications are requested, researchers must submit their written responses electronically through the online ethics review system. All communication regarding committee decisions must be directed through the Office of Research Ethics.

What’s On This Page

Application Forms

Faculty members conducting research involving human participants in their role as Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, or similar must now complete and submit all ethics applications, including initial protocols, renewals, and amendments, through the web-based YU Ethics Review system.

If your submission includes Informed Consent Forms, templates are still available on the Office of Research Ethics website and can be uploaded as part of your online application.

To access the ethics review system, please visit the Research Ethics Portal website.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Research Ethics at ore@yorku.ca.

If the students in your graduate or undergraduate course are conducting research involving human participants as part of a course assignment, and all students in the class are conducting the same or similar research, then proceed as follows:

  1. Complete the Generic Protocol: Course Related Research Involving Human Participants linked below.
  2. Submit the completed Protocol Package (Protocol form, Consent documents, copies of TCPS certificates, and other relevant documents such as survey tools, questionnaires, recruitment materials etc.) to the relevant Unit level Delegated Ethics Review Committee.

Forms:

Researchers who have received funds for their project can submit a pre-release request to allow access to limited funds for preparatory activities (i.e., activities that do not involve human participants, animals, and/or biological materials/agents) prior to receiving ethics approval.

Please refer to the application form for further instructions. Once complete, please send the form to ore@yorku.ca.

Form: