Ethical Approval Protocol:

• Applicants submit their ethics application online through a dedicated Google Form (URL: https://forms.gle/wJvtrgvr1eWK1Gss5), uploading all required documents including the completed CEPS Brief Protocol Template (attached), SQU Informed Consent Forms, and research instruments in both English and Arabic.
• Upon submission, an automatic acknowledgement email is sent to the applicant confirming receipt and providing a unique Application ID for all future correspondence.
• CRC members will receive an automated vote request email containing the application summary, a link to the uploaded documents on Google Drive, and a link to the CRC Ethics Review voting form.
• Members who have not submitted their vote or provided comments within 2 days will receive an automated reminder email with a notice that a response is required within a further 3 days. If no response is received within that period, the system will record the member's vote as non-objection, consistent with our SOPs.
• Once the CRC has reached a majority decision, the system automatically generates a confirmation email to the ADPSR office for further processing, including initiating the Wosool request where applicable.
• All application data, uploaded documents, vote records, and decisions are automatically archived and recorded in the CEPS Ethics Register maintained on Google Drive. All data is managed in accordance with SQU data governance policies and remains within SQU systems.