Ethics Committee Navigator
The Ethics Committee Navigator is a guided decision tree that determines which ethics committee your study must be submitted to and what that committee requires.
Navigation flow
Step 1: Regulatory jurisdiction
Step 2: Research area
Step 3+: Area-specific questions
Result: Committee assignment + submission guidance
Step 1 - Regulatory jurisdiction
| Option | Meaning |
|---|
| FDA (United States) | Research regulated by the U.S. FDA |
| EMA (European Union) | Research under the EU/EMA framework |
| Other International | Not FDA or EMA regulated |
Step 2 - Research area
| Option | Routes into |
|---|
| Medicine and Health Sciences | Health-study pathway |
| Science and Engineering | Science pathway |
| Education and Social Sciences | Social-sciences pathway |
| Arts | Arts pathway |
| Survey Studies | Survey pathway |
Step 3+ - Area-specific questions
Questions tailored to your area (study type, design, populations, data) that narrow down to the precise committee.
Navigation controls
| Control | Behaviour |
|---|
| Select an option | Advances to next question or shows result |
| Go back | Steps back one question |
| Reset | Clears path, returns to jurisdiction question |
| Back to Ethics Tools | Returns to tool-selection screen |
The path you took (questions and answers) is displayed for transparency.
The result
Each result presents:
| Field | Contents |
|---|
| Title | Committee name or "No Ethics Committee Required" |
| Description | Plain-language description of the outcome |
| Justification | Reasoning for this assignment |
| Committee details | Full name, mission, jurisdiction, timeframe |
| Requirements | Required documents for submission |
| Recommendations | Practical recommendations |
| Next steps | Concrete next actions |
Jurisdiction-sensitive resolution
| Jurisdiction | Committee variant |
|---|
| FDA | IRB - FDA Regulated |
| EMA | IEC - EMA/EU Regulated |
| Other | Depends on research type |
Non-jurisdiction-dependent outcomes (IACUC, None) show the same committee regardless of jurisdiction.
The seven committee types
| Committee | When assigned |
|---|
| IRB (Institutional Review Board) | Human-subjects research under FDA regulation |
| IEC (Independent Ethics Committee) | Clinical trials under EU/EMA framework |
| IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) | Research using live vertebrate animals |
| REB (Research Ethics Board) | Human-participants research under Canadian (TCPS 2) framework |
| Scientific Ethics Committee | No direct patient contact (retrospective, archival, secondary data) |
| Educational Ethics Committee | Educational interventions, pedagogy, assessment research |
| None | No ethics committee required; this includes literature-only/public-data routes and environmental pathways that instead require the applicable permits or oversight |
What the Navigator does and does not do
| Does | Does not |
|---|
| Route you to the correct committee type | Submit your application |
| List required documents and regulatory references | Grant ethics approval |
| Explain the reasoning for the assignment | Make legal determinations |
| Provide submission guidance and next steps | Guarantee committee agreement |
The Navigator is a routing and planning aid. The committee itself makes the binding determination on your study.