Ethiktool: Version Updates

Since end of June 2025, the browser-based version of the "Ethiktool" software is provided free of charge by the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) at https://ethiktool.org. It is based on experience with a software solution for the generation of ethics proposals that was used at TU Chemnitz since the university-wide ethics review board had been established in 2021. The new Ethiktool, like its predecessor, has been developed by a team led by Prof. Dr. Alexandra Bendixen. For general information on the Ethiktool project, please visit our project overview. On the current page, we inform you about Ethiktool version updates and functionality extensions.

Version history

The Ethiktool is automatically updated regularly. So far, the following updates have been performed:

• 26.06.2025: Version 1.0.1 (Ethics committees TU Chemnitz and Bielefeld University)
• 16.07.2025: Version 1.1.0 (Introduction of short report; small corrections on wording and dependencies)
• 21.07.2025: Version 1.1.1 (Small corrections)
• 28.07.2025: Version 1.2.1 (PDF upload for data retrieval from other sources; design adaptations; small corrections)
• 04.08.2025: Version 1.2.2 (Flagging of sections that need editing; small corrections)
• 11.08.2025: Version 1.2.3 (Beta version for Department of Psychology of JGU Mainz)
• 08.09.2025: Version 1.3.0 (Marking of free text in the participant documents; new options for data handling in case of withdrawal and for translation of participant documents; various corrections)
• 15.09.2025: Version 1.3.1 (Framing of self-generated documents; small corrections)
• 22.09.2025: Version 1.3.2 (Small corrections)
• 06.10.2025: Version 1.3.4 (Small corrections)
• 13.10.2025: Version 1.3.6 (Beta version for German Aerospace Center [DLR])
• 27.10.2025: Version 1.3.7 (Small corrections)
• 24.11.2025: Version 2.0.0 (Introduction of short and full proposals with different amounts of required information on the planned research)
• 08.12.2025: Version 2.1.0 (Improved links between preview, page verification, and entry fields; PDF compatibility check; various corrections)
• 15.12.2025: Version 2.2.0 (Changes on main page and PDF documents; small corrections)
• 05.01.2026: Version 2.2.1 (Beta version for Ethics Board of Dresden University of Technology; small corrections)
• 12.01.2026: Version 2.3.0 (Beta version for Ethics Review Board of Faculty 1 of Hildesheim University; small corrections)
• 19.01.2026: Version 2.4.0 (Changes regarding two-stage review for third-party funding proposals and retrospective review; small corrections)
• 26.01.2026: Version 2.4.1 (Small corrections)
• 02.03.2026: Version 2.5.0 (Redesign of document preview; separate questions on burdens and their everyday character; small corrections)
• 09.03.2026: Version 2.5.1 (Small corrections)
• 30.03.2026: Version 2.6.0 (Redesign of implementing complex study structures; more flexible description of study duration; new option of data labelling with consecutive numbers; small corrections)
• 13.04.2026: Version 2.7.0 (New question on debriefing in case of withdrawal from participation; small corrections)
• 20.04.2026: Version 2.8.1 (Beta version for Ethics Committee of Paderborn University; design change of warnings about incorrect or missing input; small corrections)
• 27.04.2026: Version 2.9.0 (Reduction of age where own consent is technically possible from 16 to 14 years; design change of own-text marking; small corrections)
• 04.05.2026: Version 2.9.1 (Small corrections)
• 11.05.2026: Version 2.9.2 (Small corrections)
• 18.05.2026: Version 2.10.0 (Introduction of ethics proposals for reanalysis projects; small corrections)
• 01.06.2026: Version 3.0.0 (Full functionality of ethics proposals for reanalysis projects; re-positioning of legal aspects in study information; new options for constraints on voluntariness by recruitment context or compensation; small corrections)
• 03.06.2026: Version 3.0.1 (Bug fix)
• 08.06.2026: Version 3.1.0 (Possibility to change the selected ethics committee; links in the preview of the data privacy notice; clearer instructions on documents to be uploaded; small corrections)

Feedback and bug reports

We continuously extend and improve the Ethiktool. We therefore greatly appreciate your support by sending us error reports, questions and remarks.

• For questions and suggestions on content, please refer to the Ethiktool contributors at Chemnitz University of Technology via ethiktool@tu-...*.
• For technical questions, please refer to the Ethiktool contributors at Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) via ethiktool@leibniz-....

Using the Ethiktool

We are happy to support you in introducing the Ethiktool at your institution and to include a version that is tailored to your institution into our software. If you are interested, please contact us at ethiktool@tu-...*.

*E-mails to this address are processed via a ticket system; please note the privacy statement (in German).