Applications for Research Ethics

Delegated (Minimal Risk) Non-Psychology Applications

The majority of applications submitted to the REB are delegated (minimal risk) review.

Follow the process below for delegated (minimal risk) non-psychology applications:

Step 1: Application Submission

1. Submit your application on Romeo.
   • Make sure all project team members have properly added their Romeo profiles. 
2. Check that you and all project team members received the email confirmation after you submit the application. 
   • If you did not receive the email confirmation, contact REB@wlu.ca to ensure the application was submitted. 

For assistance in completing the application, consult the companion document.

Step 2: Administrative Review

Your application is reviewed by the research ethics officer to ensure completeness. 

Administrative review is generally completed within five working days of application submission. 

If all required documentation has been submitted, the review process (step 3) begins. Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant.

Step 3: REB Review Process

The average processing time to receive the initial review from the REB is 15 business days. 

If there are comments and suggestions, which is likely: 

1. The chair of the REB sends comments and suggestions for changes to the project in the form of a review memo. 
2. All research team members on the Romeo application will receive the review memo email.

If there are no comments and suggestions, you will receive the approval notification. 

Step 4: Resubmission Process

Check the review memo email for instructions on the correct resubmission format and how to resubmit the file in Romeo. Applications that do not follow the required format will be returned, for example: 

• point-by-point revisions summary attached
• use of track changes or highlighting to denote changes
• capital letters for Romeo application revisions

The average processing time for resubmitted documents is five to 10 business days. 

If additional information is required or items from the initial memo have not been adequately addressed, another review memo email is sent to the research team and the resubmission process will repeat. 

The review will be ongoing until all REB concerns have been addressed at which point, the approval notification will be issued.

Deadline to Resubmit

If there has been no activity after a period of six months, projects that have been submitted for review will be automatically withdrawn. The principal investigator (PI) will be notified by email and the project will be marked as withdrawn.

Delegated (Minimal Risk) Psychology Applications

If you are a researcher in the Psychology department (Waterloo), submit the Psychology Ethics Application in Romeo.

1. Submit your application on Romeo. 
2. Make sure you receive an email confirmation that your application was submitted. If you do not receive the email, contact REB@wlu.ca. 
3. Initial Review: Your project is initially reviewed by the human research ethics coordinator for psychology for completeness, generally within five working days of application submission.
   • Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant. 
   • The coordinator will send any comments and suggestions to the project in the form of a review memo email. All team members with profiles on the Romeo application will receive the email. 
   • The average processing time for the initial review from the coordinator is 15 business days.
4. Resubmission: Follow the instructions in the review memo email for the correct resubmission format and how to resubmit the file in Romeo. 
   • If there is additional information required or items from the initial review that have not been adequately addressed, another reviewer memo will be issued.
   • The resubmission process will repeat until there are no further comments or suggestions. 
   • The average processing time for review of resubmitted documents is five to 10 business days.
5. REB Chair Review: If there are no further comments or suggestions, you will receive notification that your project will be forwarded to the REB chair for review. 
   • The average processing time for REB chair review is five to 10 business days.
   • In the REB review, the chair may: 
     • Send comments and suggestions for changes as a review memo email, repeating the resubmission process, or
     • Provide your team with clearance for your project.

For assistance in completing the application, consult the companion document.

Secondary Use of Data

If your research exclusivelyl involves secondary use of data, submit the Secondary Use of Data Ethics Application form on Romeo.

Multi-Jurisdictional Projects

Applications that have already been approved by another institution are only reviewed by the research ethics officer (REO). 

The average processing time to receive the initial review from the REO is five business days.

The process for applications approved at another institution are divided by internal researchers and external researchers.

Joint Review Process: Laurier and University of Waterloo

Effective Oct. 15, 2024, the agreement between Laurier and the University of Waterloo (UW) to jointly review minimal risk research projects will end due to updated TCPS 2 multi-jurisdictional review guidance. If you are conducting research with a collaborator from UW, the updated processes apply:

• If the UW faculty member is the lead PI on the project and the Laurier faculty member is a collaborator or co-investigator 
  • UW is the reviewing REB and the Laurier researcher must complete the ‘Multi-Jurisdictional Projects’ process (see above) at Laurier after UW approval is granted.
  • We will do our best to review these applications within 5 business days of receipt.
• If the Laurier faculty member is the lead PI and the UW faculty member is a collaborator or co-investigator:
  • Laurier is the reviewing REB and the Laurier researcher must submit the Psychology/Non-Psychology Ethics Application form for review.
  • Subsequently, the UW collaborator must complete the ‘multi-jurisdictional review’ process at UW after Laurier approval is granted.

Full REB Board Review 

Projects that require full REB board review are greater than minimal risk in psychology and non-psychology research projects. These reviews will often require a face-to-face meeting of the entire REB to discuss the project. 

A full board review takes at least 20 to 30 business days, depending on the scheduling of the REB meetings and the complexity of the project. 

The process is as follows: 

1. Applicant will be notified of the decision to move the project to a full board review along with the expected timeframes, once available.
2. Determination may be made during the initial review or following resubmission and subsequent review of additional requested information. 
3. For the resubmission process, refer to step 4 of the Delegated (Minimal Risk) Non-Psychology Application process.

Applications Requiring Expert Review

If the REB determines that there is not sufficient expertise on the board to review an application, they may request that an external expert review be conducted prior to the completion of the REB review. This process applies to both psychology and non-psychology research projects.

An expert review may take 20 to 30 business days, depending on the availability of external expert reviewers. 

The process is the following: 

1. Applicant will be notified of the decision to request an expert review and will be asked to provide: 
   • names of three proposed expert reviewers
   • contact information of the expert reviewers
   • written explanation outlining the expert reviewers' qualifications
2. All research project team members must have an arms-length relationship with the proposed expert reviewers.
3. For the resubmission process, refer to step 4 of the Delegated (Minimal Risk) Non-Psychology Application process.

Research Database

If you are looking to establish an ongoing data base of participant data to support current or future research projects, submit the Research Data Base Ethics Application form on Romeo.

Undergraduate Course-Based Research Meeting Requirements for REC Review

If your department has a Research Ethics Committee (REC) in place and your project is an undergraduate research activity, then it may be eligible for departmental REC review. 

This is the only application not administered through the Romeo system. Completed applications are submitted to the appropriate departmental REC and not the university REB.​

Review timelines are determined by the departmental REC. See the REC page for a list of departmental REC contacts.

Waterloo Region District School Board

The Human Research Ethics Coordinator, Psychology and REO coordinate any necessary clearances with the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).

Local school boards have additional requirements that may not be part of the ethics review process at Laurier (e.g., consent is needed from principals, valid police checks for all researchers, and a separate research ethics application and review process from the school board’s Research Ethics Committee).

Contact Mary Neil (Psychology Applicants) or Samantha Moeller (Non-Psychology Applicants) and see WRDSB Research and Evidence-Based Practice Department for additional details. 

WRDSB Research Review Deadlines 2023-24

*Note: this deadline is for applications to conduct research at the beginning of the 2024/25 school year. Approved projects may begin no earlier than mid-September.