From now on, it is possible to prepare applications using the Ethiktool software for all types of applications at Bielefeld University Ethics Review Board (EUB): https:ethiktool.org
The Ethiktool guides you step by step through the questions relevant to your project. Based on the information provided, the ethics tool automatically provided feedback whether the application must be assessed as a short application or a full application. The software automatically generates the ethics application form from your entries and, if applicable, the documents for the participants in your study. A keycomponent is the verification of the consistency and completeness of the information.
Please note information on the preparing the participant documents in the FAQ section.
The Ethiktool is a joint development of a project team led by Prof. Dr. Alexandra Bendixen (Chemnitz University of Technology, TUC) with team members from the TUC, the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) and Bielefeld University. Further information on the project can be found here.
If you have any questions, please take a look at our answers to frequently asked questions or use one of our presentation appointments via zoom.
The office of the Ethics Committee is also available for individual enquiries. Feedback is always welcome.
Contents:
- Introduction to the general handling of the Ethiktool
- Overview and examples of the services provided by the Ethiktool
- short vs full applications in the Ethiktool
- Integration of the Ethiktool into EUB processes
Dates:
01.10., 09.30-10.00 | online
04.11., 09.30-10.00 | online
01.12., 09.30-10.00 | online
08.01., 09.30-10.00 | online
06.02., 09.30-10.00 | online
Please register up to 1 day in advance at ethikkommission@uni-bielefeld.de
The presentation is held in German, but English presentations are possible. Please contact the EUB office.
We look forward to your participation and your questions!
More dates will follow! If you are interested, please contact the EUB office.
For all types of applications, short and full applications, it is possible to create an application using the ethics tool.
You are invited to take a look at the Ethiktool and explore the new dialogue-based application process. For the differences to the previous procedure and the advantages of the Ethiktool, see the respective FAQ.
Alternatively, it is still possible to create an application using the EUB forms.
The "Ethiktool" software simplifies the process of creating ethics applications and participation documents and thereby speeds up their review by the ethics committee. The relevant aspects for the ethics review are automatically queried step by step. The questions you are asked depend in part on your answers to previous questions. This means that the information collected is always exactly the information that applies to your research project and that are necessary for the ethics review.
The Ethiktool checks the consistency of your information, but not all conceivable inconsistencies can be detected automatically. Therefore, please check the generated PDF documents carefully for completeness, correctness and consistency.
In the Ethiktool, the relevant aspects for the ethics review are automatically queried step by step. As a result of the structured enquiry, exactly the information that is relevant to your research project and the type of application is required. The questions asked depend in part on your answers to previous questions. In addition, if applicable, aspects that are relevant for the creation of the participation documents are queried.
The automatic consistency check and completeness assurance lead to fewer queries and corrections in exchange with the office or at the request of the Ethics Review Board, which generally speeds up the review process.
In the previous form-based procedure, the information is required in free text form and you have to create the participation documents yourself. In the event of inconsistencies or any missing information or reflections, you may be asked to correct inconsistencies, provide missing information or the Ethics Review Board may impose conditions in this regard.
The tool automatically generates the participant information (part 1 of the university template) and the consent from (part 2) and, if desired, the data protection information (part 3). You do not need to prepare these separately in advance.
For information on generating participation documents independently of the ethics review, please refer to the corresponding FAQ.
If a short application is sufficient for the project, the EUB does not assess the participation documents (informed consent). However, as a service it is possible to have the participation documents generated by the Ethiktool. In this case, the participation documents are not part of the application and are only created for your further use in the separate individual documents folder.
You can also generate the participation documents (informed consent) with the Ethiktool without submitting an ethics application. In this case, select "New application" and "Short application" and indicate that you want to generate the participation documents.
You will be asked to enter a few details relevant to research ethics, however some of the information is relevant for generating the participation documents. To ensure that the documents are complete and correct for the specific case, please fill in all the information and edit any error messages from the tool. You will receive a pdf document for your further use in the individual documents folder.
You can access the Ethiktool at ethiktool.org in a browser of your choice; a local installation is not required. Select "New proposal"; here you must first define the name of your application file. The application file (in XML format) and later the complete application to be submitted (in PDF format) will be saved under this name. You must explicitly initiate the saving process; the data of your ethics application will not be saved on any server. The application file (XML file) contains all the entries you make in the tool.
Simultaneous use by several people at the same time is not intended, as this would require the (potentially sensitive) application information to be saved on the server. However, you can easily work on the application one after the other by sending the current application file in XML format to the other project participants. Other project participants can load this XML file with the ethics tool, edit it and send it back to you. If you want to check what changes the other project participants have made, you can compare the two versions of the XML file using a programme of your choice to compare text and XML files.
If the Ethiktool does not detect any inconsistencies in your entries and you have checked all documents thoroughly, you can select the "Complete proposal" button. You will then need to enter some more information for the submission process. At the end, the Ethiktool will generate a ZIP-folder with different files.
Please only submit the file with the name "[application name]_Complete application_[date].pdf" and the xml-file to the Ethics Review Board. All other individual documents in the folder are for your own use. The complete application contains all the documents required by the Ehtics Review Board. The extent of the documents varies depending on the type of application and the content of the application.
Please note that you may not make any subsequent changes to either the XML file or the PDF file.
Both documents (complete PDF and XML file) should be submitted by e-mail to the office of the Ethics Review Board.
Please contact the support address ethiktool@tu-chemnitz.de (emails to this address are processed via the OTRS ticket system; please note the data protection information).
Please tell us which aspect of your research project cannot be described in the Ethiktool. We are continuously developing the tool and welcome your suggestions.
Applications can still be submitted using the existing word forms.
Please load the XML file of the original research project to which the amendment relates. Change the application type under "proposal data > core data". Make the necessary changes to the content and justify them in the corresponding field of the Ethiktool. Please refrain from making unnecessary changes to the content. This will make it easier to compare the extension application with the original application and thus speed up the review process. Please use the same application number as in your original application.
Please note that amendments can only be submitted for projects that have received a positive vote from the Ethics Review Board of Bielefeld University.
The Ethiktool is provided by the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) in cooperation with the ethics tool team at Chemnitz University of Technology headed by Alexandra Bendixen. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us via the support address ethiktool@tu-chemnitz.de (e-mails to this address are processed via the OTRS ticket system; please note the data protection information).
The Ethiktool checks the submissions for logical consistency. If certain points indicate ethically sensitive aspects, it asks follow-up questions or requests additional justifications, but the Ethikool does not judge if the research project can be considered as ethically appropriate. The ethical assessment and the responsibility for the review processes remain entirely with the EUB.
The Ethiktool runs on servers in Germany. The data entered for the ethics application is saved locally on the computer of the person submitting the application (initially in the browser, after an active saving process in the download folder). For technical reasons, the entries are transferred to the server during the use of the ethics tool and processed there, but are not stored beyond the period of direct processing. Short-term server-side storage is required for the generation of application documents in PDF format, but this is limited to the period between the triggering of document generation and the transfer of the generated documents to the applicant's local computer. No further server-side data storage takes place. Data is transmitted using the HTTPS protocol.
The submission of documents generated by the ethics tool follows the processes of the local ethics committee and is not part of the Ethiktool. At the EUB, please send the PDF file and XML file of your ethics application by email to the office at ethikkommission@uni-bielefeld.de
Following a successful test and introductory phase, the Leibniz Institute of Psychology (ZPID) will make the Ethiktool permanently available free of charge to all ethics committees at universities and other research institutions from the end of 2026.