Concordia University Ethics Review of Research involving Human Subjects
All research involving human subjects requires a certificate of ethical acceptability before the research is being conducted. This also applies to graduate student research (class projects, research projects, thesis research) conducted with human subjects.
Ethics review ensures that research conducted with human subjects respects participants’ rights. For example, participants should know what they get into when they agree to participate in research and must be informed of their rights, such as their right to confidentiality or their right to withdraw from the research at any time. Ethics review also ensures that participants are not harmed physically or psychologically, and considers the special needs of vulnerable populations involved in research, such as children.
In order to obtain a certificate of ethical acceptability, graduate students have to submit a summary protocol form (SPF; documents detailing the research and provisions made to ensure its ethical acceptability) and additional documentation to the appropriate research ethics committee.
At Concordia University, there are two levels of research ethics committees in place: (1) the University Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC), and (2) departmental ethics sub-committees. There are also two levels of review at the UHREC: (1) full reviews require that the committee meet to discuss the SPF, (2) expedited reviews involve independent review by at least two members of the UHREC.
In order to prepare appropriate documentation and to submit it to the relevant committee, students need to consider the following:
Ethics review ensures that research conducted with human subjects respects participants’ rights. For example, participants should know what they get into when they agree to participate in research and must be informed of their rights, such as their right to confidentiality or their right to withdraw from the research at any time. Ethics review also ensures that participants are not harmed physically or psychologically, and considers the special needs of vulnerable populations involved in research, such as children.
In order to obtain a certificate of ethical acceptability, graduate students have to submit a summary protocol form (SPF; documents detailing the research and provisions made to ensure its ethical acceptability) and additional documentation to the appropriate research ethics committee.
At Concordia University, there are two levels of research ethics committees in place: (1) the University Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC), and (2) departmental ethics sub-committees. There are also two levels of review at the UHREC: (1) full reviews require that the committee meet to discuss the SPF, (2) expedited reviews involve independent review by at least two members of the UHREC.
In order to prepare appropriate documentation and to submit it to the relevant committee, students need to consider the following:
- Is the research project or thesis research part of a faculty member’s research?
Yes - For projects covered under a faculty member’s previously approved research protocol, no new submission is required.
No - Projects that are not part of a faculty member’s approved research protocol require a new submission (answer questions 2 and 3).
- Is the research funded externally (e.g., by FQRSC or SSHRC) or internally (e.g., CASA grant)?
Yes - For new projects which are supported by external or internal grants, the supervising faculty member must submit the following on behalf of the student for expedited review:- Checklist
- Summary Protocol Form (SPF)
- Consent form
- Sample questions and flyers used for recruitment of participants where appropriate
No - For new projects which are not supported by external or internal grants (e.g., class projects, individual research projects not supervised by a faculty member), the student must submit the following documentation to the relevant departmental sub-committee:- Full SPF for graduate student research
- Abbreviated SPF for student class projects
- Consent forms
- Sample questions and flyers to recruit participants if appropriate
- Management: Dr. Martin Martens, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Marketing: Dr. Bianca Grohmann,
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- Is the research beyond minimal risk?
Minimal risk is defined as a context in which “potential subjects can reasonably be expected to regard the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied by participation in the research to be no greater than those encountered by the subject in those aspects of his or her everyday life that relate to the research then the research can be regarded as within the range of minimal risk.” (Tri-Council Policy Statement). Research using stimuli and procedures that would not usually be encountered by participants in daily life (e.g., taste tests involving ingredients that are not commercially available) are beyond minimal risk, as is research involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children).
Yes - For new projects which are beyond minimal risk, the supervising faculty member must submit the following on behalf of the student for full review:- Checklist
- Summary Protocol Form (SPF)
- Consent form
- Sample questions and flyers used for recruitment of participants where appropriate
No - Please follow procedures identified through questions 1 and 2.
