Psychology Research Ethics Committee

The Psychology Research Ethics Committee considers applications for ethical approval for research conducted within the Institute of Psychology. All studies and experiments conducted in psychology first must obtain ethical approval in order to protect participants' interests.

Procedure

1) Flowchart ethical evaluation

To help researchers in determining which procedures and/or steps they have to follow to obtain ethical approval for their research, a flowchart has been developed. To assure a timely evaluation of the different type of research proposals by the CEP (master, bachelor projects, basic fMRI research, etc.) it is important the correct procedures are being followed and the right forms are being selected on the research website of the CEP. By answering the questions in the flowchart researchers will know which forms to use for their submissions.

If you have any questions you can contact the CEP through ethiekpsychologie@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

2) For research falling under the reach of the CEP, please submit an application via the research website. Applications must be submitted by the responsible senior researcher (Professor, UHD, UD, Post-doc).

For submitting studies for evaluation by the CEP please use the following templates for the information letter, informed consent, and debriefing of your participants. Whenever unique research needs may lead to deviations from the templates, we request that researchers concisely detail the deviations with a justification in the comment box of their ethics application form.

Download Templates

You'll find the Dutch Templates at the Commissie Ethiek

1. Information letter + example text additional methods
2. Informed consent
3. Debriefing participants

3) The CEP reviews all research proposals as soon as possible but no later than four weeks. Bachelor project studies will be reviewed within 2 weeks.

Please note: The shorter review period for a bachelor project is meant to put less pressure on the bachelor project timeline. The CEP advises bachelor project supervisors to refrain from proposing research designs for bachelor projects that are either very new or too complex, since this would jeopardize a careful review within a two-week turnaround time.

4) Your study can start only after approval from the CEP has been obtained. Please take this into account when an application is submitted.

5) Not all research can be evaluated by the Psychology Research Ethics Committee (in Dutch: CEP). Research with human subjects must undergo a medical ethical review if it falls under the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (in Dutch: WMO) and be submitted to the METC-LDD of the LUMC or another Medical Ethics Committee. See Guidelines and WMO website. This type of study has to be registered via the research website used for CEP applications, but not submitted in full to the CEP. If the METC-LDD gives out a non-WMO statement, the full proposal should be submitted to the CEP.

6) Guideline for local sub-proposals from outside the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences: If a study is part of a multi-site study which has already been approved by another (inter)national ethics committee, the sub-proposal together with the approval should still be submitted to the CEP and will be subject to a light assessment. Contact details for the local Leiden contact for the study should be supplied.

Complaint procedure

In case of complaints regarding any aspect of being included or excluded in a study that has been reviewed by the CEP, and the complaint cannot be discussed with the principal investigator, participants can contact the chairs of the CEP at ethiekpsychologie@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Questions or complaints about privacy issues can be sent to privacy@bb.leidenuniv.nl

Complaints/Questions from research participants in (WMO) studies can be emailed to:contactpuntparticipanten@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

General Guidelines

• Guidelines of the Psychology Research Ethics Committee
• Addendum 1. Internal evaluation procedures for basic (f)MRI studies
• Addendum 2. Procedures for handling adverse events within the institute

Guidelines for Online Studies

• Guidelines for Online Studies

Specific Guidelines

• Guidelines hygienic testing

Regulations

• Regulations of the Psychology Research Ethics Committee

Contact

Psychology Research Ethics Committee
Institute of Psychology
Leiden University
Postbus 9555
2300 RB Leiden
ethiekpsychologie@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Room 2A49