UTFacultiesBMSResearchEthics (BMS/domain HSS)FAQ BMS Ethical Review Webapplication

FAQ BMS Ethical Review Webapplication

General

  • 'BAD REQUEST' error if you want to login into the ethical review application

    According to ICT this is often a 'local' problem, so on your laptop.
    First, do you have your VPN connection working? If it is then still not working:
    Open the site in an InPrivate or Incognito window to see if you can log in. It usually helps to clear all cookies and disable tracking prevention for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. 
    If you have multiple accounts to work with, use multiple profiles in the browser. Each profile then has its own credentials for logging in.
    As a secretary/staff, we often use Chrome and do not experience problems, as staff we always have to use after our login the Multifactor authentication.

    Try again? Or call the ICT service of the UT.

    With the application itself there is nothing wrong, there are every day new applications submitted & approved by multiple users.

  • Where can I find the new BMS Ethical Review web application?

    Via our BMS Ethics Committee website, or via direct link.

  • Where can I find guiding information on the BMS Ethical Review web application?

    Go to the guides.
    Overview of all questions in the application: A PDF of the questions in the web application (and the informational notes accompanying each question) is available here (e.g. for use when preparing the answers to the questions with your supervisor in advance).
    NOTE: some questions are prefilled in order to show the complete functionalities of the webapplication, please ignore this.

  • Where can I find the UT ethics application?

    Since end of 2022 we also have a UT ethics review application, as we have multiple ethics domains within UT that didn't have an application to process their ethics review. At the time of the launch it didn't meet the standards of BMS yet, therefore we still use our own BMS Ethics review application as primary application. Hence, we do review requests that are submitted in the UT ethics application, the questions that are asked are the same.

    # In March/April'24 there will be a major update, and hopefully we will move over to the UT ethics app and fade out the BMS ethics app.

  • How can I access the old ethics webapplication?

    From 10 December'18, new applications have to be submitted through the new web application (BMS Ethical Review). The old web application is not available anymore. If you need the pdf of an earlier request (numbered BCE....) or the approval email, get in contact with the ethical committee

  • Who can submit research projects in BMS Ethical Review web application?

    The BMS Ethics Committee assesses research with human subjects carried out by, or under supervision of, employees of the BMS Faculty only. Researchers from other faculties have to comply with the rules and procedures within their own faculty. If researchers from different faculties are involved in the same project, the human subjects research should be assessed by the faculty of the principal investigator.

    Students from programs offered by other UT-faculties, in which BMS employees are involved as supervisors, should comply with the ethical regulations of their (first) supervisor’s faculty. This means that students from, for example, the Health Sciences program, should submit their project for ethical approval to the BMS Ethics committee only if their first supervisor is a BMS-employee.

    In conclusion, BMS Ethics Committee reviews:

    - BMS faculty bachelor/master program;
    - If your supervisors are from one of the departments of BMS faculty and your educational program is not from BMS
    - If your supervisors are from another faculty than BMS, but the educational program is from BMS 

    Hence, if your Bachelor or Master is at the faculty EEMCS (EWI), ET or TNW, with supervisors of EWI/EEMCS or ET faculty and no supervisor from BMS is involved than you need to submit your research to EEMCS/EWI Ethics Committee or the Natural Sciences and Engineering Sciences Ethics Committee when you are from ET/TNW. 
    ITC staff and ATLAS students (if their supervisor is not from BMS) have to submit with ITC Ethics Committee.  

  • I cannot log in to the BMS Ethical Review application (ERROR)

    Several explanations/solutions:
    - UT Students/employees with an s-/m-account are able to log in. Are you not registered as a regular bachelor/master UT student (eg, registered with Saxion and following a course here: you have an x-account) you cannot log in. If you participate with more students in a group, try if someone else can log in and submit the research for review.
    - X-accounts cannot use the web application at this moment (this was also the case in the old web application). 
    - Try the link https://webapps.utwente.nl/ethicalreview/ in several web browsers (Chrome, Explorer, Safari). Also without a VPN-connection, you should be able to log in into the web application.
    - Logout to every UT related website (for which your s-nr is needed) and then try to login in the BMS Ethical Review web application via the Ethics Committee website

    Let us know if you still experience problems, make print screens and tell us the date/time of the occurred error. If you have particularities in your employee appointment or student registration notify us. Then we can work on the problem and solve it.

    Do not waste time, in the meantime, you can prepare your answers to the questions by using this document.   

  • I cannot/how to edit my request

    For submitters please see the guide.
    You can edit your request if it is in the status 'concept' or 'waiting for researcher', you can notice this because the 'pencil-icon' is shown next to the 'eye-icon' 

    Once a request is approved, it is not editable anymore. Want to make changes, check the FAQ on 'how to make changes to my request'.

    Sometimes users do not see the pencil because of their screen settings (too wide), try to minimalize/optimize the screen to see if the pencil becomes visible.

    If issues still exist, contact the ethicscommittee-bms@utwente.nl, include info on what you tried, and add print screens.

  • How do I make changes to my research request? (includes info on substantive changes procedure)

    There are two answers here, depending on the status of your request:
    1. You received questions on your submitted research request by either your supervisor or the reviewer.
    Go to your request via the link in the email press the pencil button and 'edit questionnaire'. See also the submitter guide
    You can add a comment as a response to the questions raised by your supervisor/reviewer, but also change answers in your application form if needed. Always save your request and submit for review again (under section 8).

    2. You want to make changes to your research request after it is ethically approved (ie. application completed). 
    Substantive changes (amendments) to the research proposal (eg., methods or design) after the ethical review has been completed and approved, must be submitted to the ethical committee. Send your changes to ethicscommittee-bms@utwente.nl stating your request number and the changes. If needed, the changes will be presented to the involved reviewer and it will be decided if they are approved or if the changes are too substantial such that a new research request should be submitted. 

  • How do I check the status of my request?

    In your overview 'my requests' in the column 'status' you can see where your request is in the application workflow. For example, if you made changes to your request and you did not submit your request again, it will still say 'waiting for researcher' and your request will be flagged red. If your request is with someone else in the workflow than your request is labeled blue.  

  • Am I allowed to answer the questions in the application in Dutch?

    Preferably we want you to answer in English as we are an international university with the primary language English. Some of our reviewers are only English-speaking.
    If you want to answer in Dutch, make sure you first ask your supervisor if that is a possibility, your supervisor knows who is the reviewer for his/her section and can decide if Dutch is okay. 

  • How do I as a teacher deal with research activities in my modules or courses? 

    The Ethics Committee of the BMS Faculty developed a guidance document for teachers who offer modules or courses in which students are trained in research. The document discusses relevant considerations and gives some advice on how teachers could safeguard ethical standards when students conduct research in the context of a module or course. 

    If you or your teaching staff have any questions about how to proceed in particular courses or modules, you can always contact the ethics contact person (under Contacts) of your department, or the BMS Ethics Committee via Lyan Kamphuis-Blikman: ethicscommittee-bms@utwente.nl  

  • Alternatives for communication with your participants under Corona measures

    We provide you tips and advice on our BMS Intranet research-related Corona suggestions page.

related to the Questions in the web application

  • What is a 'lone worker' risk? (part of 4C, question 29)

    Research staff and research students may face instances of lone working performing research activities. It is good to think about these risks and potential solutions. In all lone working situations, you do need to consider your own personal safety. It are situations in which you work without close or direct supervision or remote from colleagues. Possible lone working examples could be: Working in an individual-oriented research environment (e.g. laboratories), doing fieldwork, conducting interviews with participants in your own home or on the streets etc. Also, lone working situations could increase the risk of fabrication of research data or misinterpreting data. Potential solutions could be to keep your supervisor informed on the research details (e.g. with who/when do you conduct interviews) on a regular basis, and use good data management procedures/protection.