Application Process

Do you need an ethics review?

Before you submit an ethics application, please consider whether your study requires review.

An ethics review is not mandatory. However, an ethics review is recommended if you

• are unsure whether your research project is ethically sound.
• and/or intend to publish the study in a journal that requires an ethics review as a prerequisite for publication.
• and/or the study is part of a project for which the funding agency requires an ethics review as a prerequisite.

In this case, you may request that the KEF review your research project.

Timeframe

We reserve the right to take up to 4 weeks to complete the review.
Please prepare your ethics application well in advance and submit it no later than 4 weeks before the study begins.

The KEF does not review studies that have already been conducted or have already begun.

The ethics application submitted to the Ethics Committee consists of

1. the ethics application,
2. the Short Questionnaire A,
3. the Supplementary Questionnaire B (if applicable),
4. the study proposal (max. 5 pages), and
5. the complete research materials (questionnaires used, informed consent forms, etc.).

You can find the application form and Questionnaires A and B under Documents.
There you will also find important information regarding the individual components of the ethics application. Please read this information carefully before submitting your application.

Once you have prepared all the documents, please combine them into a single PDF file. Send this PDF via email to Responsible Research Support.

If you have any questions or if anything is unclear, please feel free to contact us even before submitting your application.

The KEF’s decision is sent via email. It is sent to the person named in the application under “Principal Investigator.”

If the research project is deemed ethically unobjectionable, you will receive a positive decision with an official reference number. You may cite this reference number in publications, if applicable.

If concerns or objections regarding planned research steps were raised during the review, you will also be notified of these via email. You must then agree with the responsible supervisor on appropriate modifications to the research plan.

Should significant changes to the study arise during the course of the research, the KEF must be consulted again.

Ethics Application Template