Research ethics

All proposals to conduct research involving human participants under the auspices of Cambrian College are subject to review and approval by Cambrian’s Research Ethics Committee (REC).

The REC is governed by Cambrian’s policies and Ethical Guidelines for Research Involving Humans. The following document was developed to help you determine if your research project requires ethical approval: When is Research Ethics Review Required?

All researchers who plan to conduct research involving human participants and wish to access Cambrian College faculty, staff, students, or resources, are expected to review and maintain compliance with Cambrian’s Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans Policy and Responsible Conduct of Research Policy. All researchers are also expected to read and follow the Research Ethics Operating Procedure and submit the following forms and documentation to: research@cambriancollege.ca

• Institutional Permission Form (This form is reviewed by the area(s) impacted by the research to approve the use of institutional resources for the study)
• Ontario College Research Ethics Application Form (This form is reviewed by the REC and is accepted for research conducted solely at Cambrian or for research conducted at multiple colleges in Ontario)
• Supporting documentation (e.g., letter of consent, recruitment scripts, questionnaires, screening tools, approval letter(s) from other boards, etc.)

The REC must be informed if you need to make a change to an approved application. For change requests, complete and submit the Change Request Form.

Researchers are responsible for ensuring that their ethics approval time frame does not lapse. To request an extension, complete and submit the Renewal/Completed Status Request Form to research@cambriancollege.ca.

The membership of the REC is designed to ensure competent independent research ethics review. Members are appointed in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

The Research Ethics Committee meets once per month, as required. The REC does not meet during July and August. Applications will still be accepted during those months but may be subject to longer than normal review times. Please note the REC meeting schedule is subject to change.

• September 18
• October 16
• November 20
• December 18
• January 15
• February 19
• March 18
• April 15
• May 20
• June 17

Cambrian’s REC meets monthly, as required. Decisions resulting from the review of research applications will be provided in writing to the principal investigator within two weeks of the meeting. A decision on a submission can fall into one of the following categories:

• Approval without questions or modifications.
• Approval is subject to clarifications and/or modifications.
• Deferred, pending receipt of additional information or major revisions.
• Not approved.

If the application is not approved as presented, written documentation will be provided to the principal investigator with a rationale for the decision and recommendations for changes. Re-submission of the research application for ethics review may be made following recommended amendments at any time.

For more information about Research Ethics, please contact: research@cambriancollege.ca