All research involving human subjects, conducted by members of the University of Calgary must receive ethics clearance from the appropriate University of Calgary Research Ethics Board (REB).
[See details in Section 1: University Policy and Procedures: Ethics in Human Research]
| If you do not obtain an ethics clearance when one is required, you will be contravening: University Policy, guidelines established by NSERC, SSHERC, and MRC, as well as setting yourself up for other potential problems if a research participant objects to what you are doing. The Ethics Review Checklist can help you determine if you need ethics approval |
If your research includes any data where information is collected through intervention and interaction with people, then you almost certainly have to do an ethic clearance. It doesn't matter if you consider your study completely harmless (aka 'minimal risk'): it must go through ethics review.
Research Services manages the policy, procedure, and basic handling of ethics in human research. The Research Services Web Site contains almost all the necessary information and should be your primary source for information. If you are a faculty member and need ethics clearance for your own work, you must submit an application directly to them.
| Because of the relatively small number of applications, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Management have joined forces for this. Your Faculty of Science Ethics Chair is Saul Greenberg {saul@cpsc.ucalgary.ca}. Ask him for advice. |
However, each faculty also contains an Ethics Committee for facilitating certain applications: those performed in their entirety by students and those that are part of course work. Essentially, you give the faculty ethics chair your ethics forms, which is then sent out for internal review. A recommendation is then passed on to the Faculty level who is quickly review it and send it back. Ideally, this will only take about two - three weeks from submission to result.
If this is your first time doing this, read University Policy and Procedures: Ethics in Human Research. While this may seem somewhat onerous, it does contain vital information. In particular, look at
Section 1 to verify that your work requires ethics clearance,
Section 5 if your application concerns course-based research,
Section 7 for your procedural responsibilities
Section 8 for guidelines on balancing risks vs benefits
Section 9 on how to do informed consent
Section 10 for guidelines on deception (research involving any deception is usually considered risky)
Section 11 for guidelines on maintaining privacy and confidentiality
Also read Information
for Research Participants and the Participant
Bill of Rights, which looks at things from the perspective of the person
being studied.
If your application concerns course-based research where the research is done as part of a class project, you should read:
Print your application materials
Ethics Review Application Guide provides detailed instructions for applicants. To avoid problems, follow this while doing your application.
Ethics Review Application Form contains the actual form.
Informed Consent Form Sample contains instructions and samples of what must appear on the consent form
Email / phone Saul Greenberg, the Faculty of Science Ethics Chair, to inform him about what you are doing. He can offer advice, and will get things prepared so he can act quickly on receipt of your application.
Fill in the form.
Prepare all attachments indicated in the application guide. While these may vary depending on the study, these typically include:
a copy of questionnaires and/or test instruments
a copy of your recruitment notice or letter (this may include what you plan to say if you want to solicit students from a class)
a copy of the informed consent form
Mail or drop off the original and 3 photocopies to:
Professor Saul Greenberg
Faculty of Science Ethics Chair
Department of Computer Science
Math Science Building, 2nd floor
saul@cpsc.ucalgary.ca
220-6087
Here is some information to make your job easier.