Ethiktool: Software for ethics applications
We developed the "Ethiktool" software to support researchers in composing ethics applications for research on human participants. A user-centered dialogue guides the ethics applicant through all relevant questions and asks for information for putting together the ethics application form and the informed consent form as well as other participant documents. We originally developed the "Ethiktool" software for use at Chemnitz University of Technology's Ethics committee, where it is being used successfully since mid-2021. We are currently advancing and preparing the "Ethiktool" for use at other sites. Upon successful completion of this software development effort, our aim is to provide the Ethiktool free of charge to all interested ethics committees. A glimpse of the Ethiktool's functioning is available in the following video demonstration. If you are interested in testing the new software version and if you want to stay updated on further development steps of the Ethiktool, you are welcome to sign up for our database. Please also visit our frequently asked questions and answers.
Ethiktool Team
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| Prof. Dr. Alexandra Bendixen, TU Chemnitz, project lead | Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Einhäuser-Treyer, TU Chemnitz | M.Sc. Tina Frenzel, TU Chemnitz | Dr. Katarina Blask, Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) | Dr. Thomas Wegner, Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) | Dr. Eva-Maria Berens, Universität Bielefeld |
Publications on the Ethiktool
Bendixen, A., Wegner, T. G. G., & Einhäuser, W. (in press). Facilitating Ethics Application and Review for Interdisciplinary Human-Participant Research via Software-Based Guidance and Standardization. In B. Meyer, U. Thomas, & O. Kanoun (Eds.), Hybrid Societies - Humans Interacting with Embodied Technologies (Vol. 1). Springer.
Bendixen, A., Wegner, T., Blask, K., Berens, E.-M., Frenzel, T., & Einhäuser, W. (2024, Conference Abstract). Ethiktool – A software solution to support the ethical assessment of research projects. Demonstration at the 53rd DGPs Congress / 15th ÖGP conference, Vienna, September 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Ethiktool
The "Ethiktool" software simplifies the preparation of ethics applications and participant documents. The software queries the relevant aspects for ethical evaluation in a guided, step-by-step process. Questions are adaptive and partially depend on previous responses. Thereby the Ethiktool gathers exactly those pieces of information that are relevant for the respective project.
At the end of the process, the Ethiktool generates all documents that are evaluated by the ethics committee, including the ethics proposal form itself as well as the documents addressing the participants and, if applicable, their legal guardians (e.g., information on the study and on data processing, consent form, debriefing document if applicable).
Automated consistency checks and user-oriented dialogue during the application process, in turn, ease and accelerate the evaluation by the ethics committees and review boards.
The original version of the Ethiktool is adjusted to the local use at Chemnitz University of Technology (TUC) and cannot directly be used at other sites. However, in a project supported by the VolkswagenStiftung, we – together with the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) – are currently developing a new version that will be available free of charge to all interested ethics committees and review boards.
In an initial evaluation phase, the new version of the Ethiktool will be tested by selected ethics committees from January 2025 onwards. The introduction of the Ethiktool at these sites will be accompanied by evaluations; based on their results, a wider dissemination is planned. By the end of 2026, the Ethiktool shall be available free of charge to all ethics committees and review boards.
If you are chairing an ethics board or work for an ethics board in an administrative function, please feel free to contact alexandra.bendixen@.... We are happy to provide further information and – from the end of 2024 onwards – a demo version of the new Ethiktool implementation. Please also sign up for our database for receiving regular updates on further development steps and releases of the Ethiktool.
After a successful initial deployment and implementation phase, from 2026 onwards, the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) will provide the Ethiktool to all institutions of higher education and other research institutions permanently and free of charge.
Yes: The current version includes an English version for all user-guided dialogue. All application and participant documents can be created in German or English, alternatively. Which language(s) are accepted for submission to the ethics committee, depends on local regulations.
The responsibility for the ethics evaluation and the control over the according processes remain entirely with the local ethics committee or review board. The new version of the Ethiktool is modular in that it allows swift adaptation to local processes. Ethics committees are also free to use pre-established modules.
In contrast to the original version, which requires local installation, the new version of the Ethiktool operates in a browser-based manner. No installation is required and the tool can be operated on (nearly) any device. Within our project supported by the VolkswagenStiftung, we work on ways to adapt the Ethiktool to local requirements and processes with as little effort as possible.
Independent of device and Ethiktool version, all information is exclusively stored on the user's device and no data transfer to a central server takes place at any time. Submission of applications created by the Ethiktool continues to follow locally established procedures and is not handled by the Ethiktool software.
