If you began your application before July 25, 2024 using any one of the legacy (pre-EthOS) forms, please review the Interim Guidelines for the EthOS transition to determine which scenario applies to you and follow the guidance provided there. 

How do I know if I should follow the Pre-EthOS Application Process? 

As a reminder, the Pre-EthOS process only applies to those who: 

  • Submitted any REB application prior to July 25, 2024, that is pending review and approval
    • Your submitted REB application will follow the Pre-EthOS process until completion.
  • Have drafted – but not yet submitted - an application using the legacy forms
    • Exception: If this REB application is for a Statement of Intent or Multi-Jurisdictional approval because you have already received REB approval based on the TCPS2 or equivalent from another institution, please initiate this process in EthOS due to the brevity of this form. 
    • All other application scenarios can opt to restart with EthOS or continue with the Pre-EthOS process (your choice may depend on the amount of data already entered into the former form). 
    • Note: After September 23, 2024, new applications will only be accepted via EthOS. 
  • Have existing approved protocols requiring a post-approval update before September 23, 2024 
    • Until September 23, 2024, any post-approval updates (amendment, renewal, event report, closure) should use the legacy forms and process.
    • Note: Existing approved protocols will be migrated to EthOS by September 23, 2024, after which all post-approval updates can be processed in EthOS.

Submitting an REB Application using Pre-EthOS forms 

If one of the above guidelines applies to you: 

  1. Complete your Human Ethics submission using the REB Application found under the Forms section. Please assess whether supplemental forms are relevant to your research and need to be appended to your submission.
  2.  Email your submission to reb@uoguelph.ca.
    • Attach the REB Application as a Word document
    • Attach any other participant-facing documents (as separate Word documents, where possible) such as Consent Forms, Recruitment documents, Questionnaires, etc.
    • Attach a training certificate for every non-University of Guelph faculty member involved in the project. Training is mandatory for students and post-docs, and recommended for everyone involved in research involving human participants.
  3. The research team will receive a notice of receipt of your new REB application.
  4. All other communications will occur by email between the Ethics Office and the Principal Investigator (with students, post-docs and other collaborators CC’d).

I received feedback from the REB. How do I make these revisions and how long will it take?

  1. After each point in your feedback document, indicate how and/or where you have made the modification in response to the comment.
  2. For every document which requires modifications, open the document, ensure there are no tracked or highlighted sections, then turn on Word’s track changes. Make your modifications. Save it with filename_tracked.
  3. Save a copy of the document you just modified and accept all the changes. Now you have a clean copy of the modified document. Save it with the same filename_clean.
  4. Submit the clean and tracked version of all documents along with your feedback document to reb@uoguelph.ca
  5. The Ethics Office can review and clear many of these modifications. Sometimes, modified documents must be sent back to reviewers, and some are reviewed again at a full board meeting.

My study was approved but something has changed. How can I revise my ethics protocol post-approval?

  1. An Amendment request form must be submitted to the REB with revisions described in detail.
  2. Amend all documents using the tracked changes feature in Word and submit ‘clean’ and ‘tracked’ versions for review to reb@uoguelph.ca.
  3. The Ethics Office can review and approve many of these amendments. However, more complex amendments may require review from an REB member and/or Chair, and could be added to a full board meeting agenda for review.
  4. As with a new study submission, the REB may send amendment feedback with questions, clarifications, and requested changes.
  5. Once review is complete and modifications are resolved, you will receive a new approval certificate for the amendment.

My study is complete (no further participant involvement, data collection, chart access, data clarification & data transfer) and I am ready to close my study. What is the process I need to follow?

  1. Please complete the Annual Renewal form.
  2. For question 5, choose “Please close this submission.”
  3. Submit by email to reb@uoguelph.ca.
  4. The Ethics Office will send a notification to inform you this study has been closed.

My study will continue past the current approval period. How do I renew for another year?

  1. Please complete the Annual Renewal form.  
  2. For question 5, choose “Please renew the approval for this submission for another calendar year.”
  3. Submit by email to reb@uoguelph.ca.
  4. The Ethics Office will send a new certificate indicating another year of continued approval.

Note: The REB no longer requires a full study resubmission at the 5-year approval mark. Please contact the Ethics Office at reb@uoguelph.ca if you have questions about this change.