Research ethics review outcomes

Once you have submitted your research ethics application via the Online Research Ethics Management System (OREMS), it can then go through the review process.

Upon review by a Research Ethics Committee (REC), applications will receive one of the following outcomes: 

• Favourable opinion – the Research Ethics Committee has no significant concerns that need addressing and you can begin your data collection.  
• Conditional opinion - the reviewing committee has provided feedback and recommended changes for your application that you need to address before receiving a favourable opinion. Any changes will also need to be reviewed, and you will be advised on how to submit your response via OREMS.  We have an information page on how to respond to a conditional opinion. 
• Unfavourable opinion - The Research Ethics Committee has reviewed your ethics application and determined that it does not meet the required standard or that the ethical issues cannot be sufficiently addressed through mitigation. You must not begin data collection. The response will detail all areas of concern. If you wish to proceed, you should redesign the project to address these and resubmit. 

Often, the research ethics review process is an iterative one, and most applications will receive a conditional opinion. Of course, every research ethics application is unique and treated as such. Some may require minimum to no amendments, others significantly more. 

The Research Ethics Committees work to ensure not only that any research being conducted is ethically sound, but also that you as the researcher, as well as any human participants and their data are protected. Therefore, the review process is thorough.