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At York University, we are dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards in the design and conduct of human research. Any study that includes human participants must receive review and approval from the appropriate York University Research Ethics Board before any research begins. This review process helps safeguard the rights, dignity, and well-being of participants, while supporting researchers in carrying out responsible and impactful work.

We are here to support the York research community—faculty, students, and staff—through the ethics process with guidance, resources, and a commitment to fostering ethically sound research.

Updates/News:

Launch of YU Ethics Review Platform:

York’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 will officially launch on January 20, 2026, for all research involving human participants.

In alignment with the annual deadline for protocol submissions, HPRC and IREB will not accept new protocols submitted after November 14, 2025.

All new faculty and thesis/dissertation student research involving human participants must be submitted through the YU Ethics Review system, starting January 20, 2026.

For more information and updates, please visit our new webpage.

Update on Clinical Trial Registration from CIHR

Researchers conducting clinical trials are encouraged to review the latest CIHR update regarding ClinicalTrials.gov, which is currently affected by the U.S. government shutdown, to learn about alternative registry options.

Does My Research Require Ethics Review?

For research to be subject to review it must be considered “research” according to the Tri-Council Policy Statement TCPS 2 (2022) and it must involve “human participants.”

Tip Sheet

Ethics Roadmap

What’s On This Page

Where Do I Start?

Faculty

Students

Delegated Ethics Review Committees

Protocol Submission Deadlines and Processing Times

Minimal risk protocols are accepted on a weekly rolling basis, with the exception of December, during which no submissions are reviewed.

Please be advised that protocols received after Friday November 14, 2025, will not be circulated to the committee until the New Year.

In addition, due to the significant volume of protocols generally received in November, protocols received up to and including Friday November 14, 2025 will be reviewed by the committee; however, committee comments and/or approvals may not be forwarded to the researchers until the 3rd week in January 2026 when the University re-opens.

More than minimal risk protocols are reviewed by all the committee members in full board meetings. Submissions must be received by the following deadlines in 2026 for a protocol to be reviewed in the next full board meeting.

February 6
March 6
April 3
May 8
June 5
July 10
August 7
September 4
October 9
November 6

Please note that there is no full board meeting in December.

Revised Ethics Review Timelines

Over the past two years, the volume and complexity of applications received by the ORE have steadily increased. In the meantime, the ORE has been working to develop other resources and guidance documents to improve ethics processes. As a result, processing times for ethics review have changed. Please review the current application response timelines to ensure you can meet your own research objectives.

Initial application review: Expect the review feedback to be sent to you within 25 - 30 working 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.

ORE Virtual Office Hours

ORE hosts virtual office hours via Zoom every Wednesday between 12 pm - 1 pm.

Join Zoom meeting to attend virtual office hours (opens in new window)

Meeting ID: 987 4044 7731

Please drop in if you have any questions. No appointment is necessary.

Workshops and Seminars

ORE provides a variety of educational and outreach activities throughout the academic year.

We offer an Ethics 101 presentation to all members of the research community—including faculty, staff, and students—upon request. The presentation provides a general overview of ethics policies, procedures and protocols. All aspects of the requirements for the submission of an ethics protocol are covered, as are general questions regarding ethics review processes.

If you would like to arrange an Ethics 101 presentation for your class, department, or any meeting where ethics education or outreach would be beneficial, please email acollins@yorku.ca.

The Brown Bag Series provides an accessible and informative space for researchers to engage with key topics related to human research ethics.

Specialized Brown Bag sessions cover a range of emerging and complex topics, including:

Secondary data analysis
Research involving social media platforms
Observational data collection
And other evolving areas of ethical consideration

These sessions are designed to support researchers in navigating the ethical challenges specific to their fields of inquiry.

Upcoming Brown Bag Sessions:

Autoethnography and Research Ethics – Virtual Brown Bag Session

Date: Tuesday, October 21
Time: 11:00 AM (Virtual Session)

Are you using autoethnography as research method in your research? Are you unsure whether your project requires ethics review? Do you need guidance on managing informed consent or other ethical considerations unique to autoethnographic method?

Join the Office of Research Ethics for an informal virtual brown bag session exploring key ethical considerations in autoethnographic research. This session will cover:

Autoethnography as a research method
Assessing risks and benefits
Navigating informed consent
Open Q&A

Faculty and students are welcome.
No registration required.

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 923 7784 1125

To provide more hands-on, personalized support for researchers, we’re introducing small-group workshops focused on how to successfully complete and submit research ethics applications.

These workshops are designed for both students and faculty conducting research involving human participants and will walk participants through each step of the application process — from preparing documentation to addressing common feedback from ethics boards. The workshops will be limited to 5 participants.

Upcoming Research Ethics Workshop Dates – Registration Required

Dates: October 9 and November 6*

Time: 2:00 – 3:30 PM (Virtual Session)

To provide more personalized, hands-on support, the Office of Research Ethics (ORE) is introducing small-group workshops focused on helping researchers successfully complete and revise their ethics applications. These sessions are intended for both students and faculty who:

Are nearly ready to submit their application, or
Have received committee feedback and need help responding to comments.

Workshops are limited to 5 participants to ensure tailored support and meaningful discussion.

To register, please email: ore@yorku.ca

*Additional workshop dates may be added in the future based on demand.

Policies, Guidelines and Templates

YULink

Visit YULink, York’s hub for faculty and staff, for further Ethics information, resources and documents.

Visit YULink