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Human Participants in Research

Home » Research Ethics » Human Participants in Research

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.

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 2025 to for a protocol to be reviewed in the next full board meeting.

  • May 9
  • June 6
  • July 4
  • August 8
  • September 5
  • October 10
  • November 7

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: 966 4558 9774 

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.

Please note: There are currently no scheduled Brown Bag sessions. Upcoming sessions will be announced as they are confirmed. In the meantime, we invite researchers to explore our available resources and stay informed about future offerings.

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 dates and registration details will be announced soon.

Policies, Guidelines and Templates

YULink

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

Visit YULink