Applications, deadlines, and timelines
This page provides quick information about deadlines and how to apply for ethics review. If this is your first ethics application, or if you need further details on the full review process, please go here to learn more.
Student deadlines
Athabasca University (AU) students may apply for ethics review at any time. Applications will be processed according to established timelines.
Faculty/staff deadlines
Applications from AU faculty and staff must be submitted by the first Friday of each month. These applications will be reviewed at the regular monthly Research Ethics Board (REB) meeting, and a decision will be provided within 1 week of the meeting.
There will be no Research Ethics Board (REB) meeting in August. If you plan for your study to begin in August or September, your application must be submitted by the first Friday in July.
How to apply
All ethics applications are completed and submitted online through the Research Portal. Please review the following applicable instructions before beginning the application process:
Make sure you include all the necessary information, including related appendices, or your application may be returned.
If you have difficulties with your application, please contact the research ethics officer.
Timelines for student researcher applications
To process your application as quickly as possible, review of student applications includes both an informal and a formal review. The goal is to complete the formal review within 4 weeks of submission.
Informal review
The research ethics officer or your departmental research coordinator may provide informal feedback during the administrative processing of your application. This feedback is designed to increase your chances of approval in the formal review.
As this feedback occurs before your application is sent to the ethics committee, the time spent on review and resubmission is not counted as part of the formal review timeline.
Formal review
For an average review with no major concerns or uncontrollable delays, the first formal review should take approximately 2 weeks to complete.
If your application requires further revision, the goal is to provide final approval within 4 weeks of your initial submission to the committee. This timeline depends on how long it takes to submit the suggested revisions.
Updated April 26, 2023 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)